


Ghost in the Machine

by sashton



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Bottom Jensen, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, Non-Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Top Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-08 20:27:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 32,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1955112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sashton/pseuds/sashton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a futuristic dystopia, where your wealth determines your access to sunlight and the Grid - a virtual world full of wonders where hackers are employed for espionage and sabotage, Jensen's childhood friend disappears. This is the story of how he defines his life without Jay and his eventual struggle to get him back.</p>
<p>Written as part of the 2014 Supernatural and J2 Big Bang.</p>
<p>Art by <img/><a href="http://thruterryseyes.livejournal.com">thruterryseyes</a>. Full art post <a href="http://thruterryseyes.livejournal.com/43739.html">here</a>.</p>
<p>Betaed by <img/><a href="http://twasadark.livejournal.com/">twasadark</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The seven year old ran through the dark squalor that made up his neighbourhood, darting around broken crates spilling their scavenged innards over the rough ground and the vermin, human and otherwise, that hid their secrets in the filth.

If he could reach the transit station, he could make it to a higher level. He could make it to Jensen.

The shadows were closing in.

Men in expensive dark suits and jackets that had no place in the poverty that made up the base of the City, drawing closer.

He'd seen them before, watching him with beady eyes, following him.

Jensen called him paranoid.

Who is being paranoid now?

Two blocks to go.

He could almost see salvation - lit like a beacon in a world of candles.

A pain in his shoulder - a sharp sting.

He fell.

Then the darkness came and he saw no more.

* * *


	2. Part I

Jensen was eleven when his best friend went missing.

He knew that despite the fact Jay would have been classified as a child prodigy if he'd been born higher up the City, the authorities would blame the disappearance on the victim's stupidity, seeing nothing more than his status. He knew that despite the fact that his friend, Jay - a master of survival who'd taken the crappy hand that life had dealt him and faced every day with a smile - was only seven, no official would look hard for him. He knew that there were reasons why - there were reasons for everything in the City - and in Jay's case they boiled down to a few simple points:

First, he had no sponsor. No parent or guardian with enough money or power to ensure that somebody would listen to them. No group of comrades that could scrape together enough coin to incentivise one of the many corrupt officials to pass his file up the chain. _Hell_ , as far as Jensen knew, he was the only one Jay trusted enough to call a friend - a sad consequence of having to grow up as quickly as he did.

Second, he was from the Undercity, a place so removed from the Overcity with its gleaming silver towers clawing their way high into the dusty sky, that nobody – especially the emergency teams that checked your wallet before your pulse – would enter without being directly ordered. Even Jensen avoided it as much as he could, and he'd spent much of his young life there.

The final nail in the coffin of Jay's case was that he wasn't just from the Undercity, he was an orphan as well. An _Undercity_ orphan - that which many of the City would consider the lowest of the low. Cursed since he was left outside one of the Undercity’s countless overcrowded and underfunded orphanages, barely a week old and with nothing except the rags that swaddled him and the letter J tattooed on his tiny chest in stark black ink. It had never been something that had affected Jensen's relationship with the younger boy, quite the opposite in fact - he _admired_ Jay, pitying only how quickly the child had been forced to grow up and how he'd never been able to do more to help.

Jensen might not have been as smart as Jay, but he was certain that his friend had been kidnapped. When he’d last seen Jay, his friend had said that he thought that he’d seen a pair of men watching him several times in the previous week, almost as though they were following him. The younger child was a little worried about the men who, dressed in smart black coats and boots that hadn’t done hard time on somebody else’s feet, clearly didn’t fit in the Undercity. Jensen cursed himself for not paying attention to his friend – especially as Jay had gone so far as to call the men suspicious, a term that in the Undercity meant shady as _fuck_. Kidnappings were rare in the Undercity – one of its few blessings – as there was no money to be made out of it. Most families lived meal to meal, and there wasn’t always the guarantee that a resident had anyone to care about them enough to scrape together enough to pay a ransom.

The majority of crime committed in the Undercity was simple – plain, yet brutal murder – so within minutes of the hastily scrawled missing persons report being complete, Jay was marked as deceased, the officers simply not caring enough to investigate another incident in the lowest part of the City. After that declaration, the few meager possessions he’d collected were removed from his shelf in the Undercity orphanage opening up his ragged sleeping mat for one of the new arrivals dumped on the facility’s doorstep daily. Eager to wipe all evidence of Jay’s existence from the City, the police offered Jensen the sparse selection of objects, which he claimed eagerly. Firstly because nobody who’d spent more than a day in the Undercity would turn down anything that was offered to them for free. His family – thanks to the generosity of his father’s superior at work – had recently been granted permission to move up to the Subcity. Many of its residents were like the Ackles' – natives of the Undercity still in awe over the fact that they had been fortunate to move upwards in vertical metropolis and were now high enough that they were graced by sunlight on a daily basis, even if it was only for a few seconds. The second reason he claimed them was much more personal. Jensen knew that he was the only person who’d ever even acknowledged the scrawny little kid and wanted _something_ to remember the child with the wide eyes that he’d found rummaging through the paltry offerings of a filthy dumpster back in the Undercity six years prior and decided, using language that was so adult it made Jensen laugh when it flew excitedly out of his childish lips, that Jensen was so _fucking ace_ they should be _bestest friends for life_.

As he sorted through the few items, he couldn’t help but mourn his friend. He knew his parents had once talked about taking Jay in, but with five of them, besides the few coins they managed to add to their upgrade fund each week, they barely had enough to live on themselves. Most of the contents of the damp cardboard box were clothing of some description - warn and frayed tops and pants with more holes in than the lid of an Undercity dumpster - however, Jensen knew that Jay was too smart to keep anything he treasured in a place where it could be easily grabbed. His fingers soon brushed against the object of his search - a rusty lockbox that Jay had modified to keep away anyone who tried to open it without one of its two keys. Jensen chuckled sadly before reaching around his neck and pulling out the key Jay had given him on his last birthday - a symbol of just how much he trusted the older boy.

Jensen smiled for a second, reflecting on how well his young friend had adapted to life in the Undercity - his brain developing that tiny dark spark needed to thrive down there. The kid's knowledge of every dark, twisted alley was second to none and his ability to come up with devious methods for keeping light fingers away from his few belongings scared Jensen at times. Such as his lockbox, which Jensen knew would give a shock of several thousand volts to anyone who tried to break in.

He sighed before sliding the key into the lock, remembering at the last minute to rotate it backwards half a turn to disable one of his friend's more devious traps, before proceeding to open it, pulling the small door open before reaching inside to access Jay's most precious possessions. He grinned to himself as he recalled the stories behind each item. A bracelet made of woven scraps of cloth that Jay had found interesting due to their colour or texture. A collection of scraps that made appealing noises when hit. The final item however, was what changed Jensen’s life forever.

It was a simple wooden box. A box that most likely was older that the City. It was something from the old world that once encased one of the fancy bottles of alcohol that the citizens of the Overcity still liked to drink, despite its vast age. It was something that, before being thrown down into the darkness, had spent time amid the elite of the City with their sparkling glass towers and delicate crystal walkways. Yet Jay had changed it completely, taking it beyond special and into the realm of art. He’d carved intricate patterns into the surfaces – detailed images of vines and plants that he could have only seen in one of the grubby murals in the Undercity Commons that showed a scene that predated Event One – the point when the destruction caused by man had gotten so bad, the planet had simply _stopped_. Event One was the point where everything changed. Most soil stopped being fertile and natural disasters devastated any land that was still usable. Soon after, the Corporation had built the Cities – towering refuges where humanity could survive, safe from the destruction that was the remainder of their homeworld. Then they passed laws regulating exactly how much food – mostly in the form of a nutrient rich paste grown in laboratory tanks, supplemented with the occasional taste of something fresh from the barren farms that huddled around the City walls like petrified children if you could afford it – each person was entitled to, for the protection of the survivors. Then came the social segregation, where your wealth in the old world determined your standing in the new one. The divide between rich and poor grew greater as the poorer lived amidst the squalor that lay literally underneath the rich and your income determined how much sunlight you received. Control eventually passed out of their hands, but the fledging government was too dependent on the Corporation for support and survival that, in reality, very little changed.

Jensen traced the patterns for a moment before sliding off the lid. He blinked with shock when he saw what was inside. It was a Link – a set of goggles covered in complex electronics and a pair of networking gloves used by the upper classes of the City to access the Grid, the framework behind all modern technology and information. Access to the Grid was essentially access to knowledge and, if you were prepared to work on the shadier side of the law, ridiculous wealth. Jensen knew that the price for one of these was so high that a hundred people from the Undercity saving for a hundred lifetimes couldn’t even come close to affording one. Yet Jay had one, or technically Jensen now did, made entirely of scrap electronics.

He ran his fingers over the components – a chip ripped out of a discarded communicator, glass lenses made from hand-smoothed shards of old bottles, mismatching switches and lightly tarnished copper contacts substituting for expensive sensor pads, globules of solder melted over an open flame holding poorly trimmed wires in place. Even the fabric of the gloves was recycled - scavenged fabric roughly sewn into shape before having the delicate wiring inlaid - compared to the millimetre-perfect tailoring of a genuine set. He sighed, he’d always known that Jay was inventive – he’d needed to be to survive as an Undercity orphan – but to make anything close to a Link with nothing more than discarded electronics, elevated him to demigod status in Jensen’s mind. He still didn’t know if the Link would work but, knowing his friend’s tendency towards perfectionism, he was pretty damn certain that Jay wouldn’t have assembled it into a complete piece unless it did.

The logical solution, and the one he knew his parents would be most in favour of, would be to sell the device. With the price of a new Link, fresh off one of the automated production lines, being high enough that even a citizen of the Overcity would pause for a fraction of a second before handing over their precious coin, Jay’s model made from scraps would sell easily. For the right amount, someone who was desperate enough for something they couldn’t afford without great hardship could overlook the imperfections and eccentricities that would come with a handmade version. The odds were that someone in the Uppercity would be willing to cut a deal for enough money and influential favours that Jensen’s family would be sorted for a generation or two. Easily enough to see Jensen and his siblings through a technical college and for his parents to comfortably move upwards in one of the towering glass monoliths.

However, the choice that Jensen eventually made was to keep the Link and learn how to use it. To him, this decision just felt _right_ as it meant that rather than selling off something that Jay must have spent a considerable amount of time and effort building. He got to keep the device that, with its quirks and imperfections, reminded him somewhat of his friend. His parents weren’t the most impressed with his selection, fearful of a technology that normally didn’t stray far from the glittering spires that crowned the towers of the City. To them any technology that wasn’t essential was something they wanted no part of. However, since their son had legally claimed Jay’s possessions, they couldn’t dispute his decision as the Link was, in the half-blind eyes of the law, Jensen’s and Jensen’s alone.

* * *

* * *

Jay had been missing for four months and long presumed dead when Jensen finally used the Link. He'd spent every one of those days adamantly refusing to believe that Jay was dead and desperately searching through the rank alleys of the Undercity for anything or anyone that could lead him to Jay, and every night hoping that any minute his friend would knock on their door asking for his things back.

However, the more time that passed, the more he lost hope, following increasingly more desperate leads. Eventually, even his visits to the spot where his friend’s name was engraved on one of the massive black memorial walls – the place where the majority of the poorest residents of the City were remembered after their passing in miniscule letters – decreased, as the tiny script only served to emphasise his perceived failure.

Then he just _stopped_. Stopped searching. Stopped visiting. Stopped hoping that Jay would return. That was the point when he finally realised the Link was _his_ \- he wasn't keeping it for Jay, Jay wasn't coming back - and delicately removed the device from its casing.

The first time he placed the goggles over his head and toggled the power switch, he had to bite back a sob as there, immortalised forever in the guise of the device’s AI. The image flickered momentarily as the device started up and remotely connected to the gloves Jensen had slipped onto his hands before stabilising into what Jensen had heard people refer to as the Green Room – the localised space from which a user could prepare programs and scripts prior to connecting to either the Grid or an independent server node. Jay’s image grinned at him for a moment. “Hi, Jen.”

Jensen paused momentarily, unsure of the protocols of communicating with what was essentially just a programmed reconstruction of his friend, before nervously smiling back. “Jay.”

The AI looked down for a moment before sighing. “If you’re seeing this, I’m guessing the worst has happened.” The image paused before chuckling sadly. “Hope it was a good death and I didn’t trip over and fall into a recycler.”

Jay chuckled again. “I know this is kinda morbid, but one thing that the Undercity prepares you for is the unexpected.” He paused, “I’m betting you took ages to decide whether or not to sell these didn’t you?”

Jensen nodded sadly. “Yeah.”

Jay smiled. “Kinda glad you didn’t – I’d really hate to have spent all this time creating this program and for it to end up working for someone who just uses it to borrow books!” He paused again, “These were for you anyway – I wanted to give you something special for your birthday and you always said you’d like to just try a pair once to see what they could do. Well I went one better and made one for you to keep.” He chuckled, “No idea how I made them work – it just came to me as most things do. I’m really starting to think I’m losing it if things like this can just pop into my head.”

Jensen chuckled, causing the AI to scowl softly and roll his eyes. “Yeah, laugh it up, jerk!” Jay’s face returned to a lazy smile, “Anyway, seeing that I’m not there to teach you how to use my mad handiwork in person, you’re going to have to put up with digital me who isn’t so easily distracted by you starting a thumb war. Although I did program in the rules to some games so we’ll have to see how successful that statement is!”

Jensen grinned, before the program continued. “I’m not sure the best way to go about teaching this stuff, so I’ll go over the basics. If you want anything else, ask – hopefully I’ve got the information somewhere in here,” he tapped the side of his head with a finger, “if not, I’m sure I can dig it up from somewhere on the Grid or help you find someone who knows.”

Jensen smirked. “So you’re admitting there’s some things that you don’t know?”

The avatar in the lenses shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m admitting that there’s some things that I don’t know _yet_. Also, _you_ try writing an instruction manual for someone like yourself. I’m just glad you managed to turn me on without instruction.” Jensen giggled at the unintended double entendre, causing the image of his friend to sigh, “Jen! I swear you’re a schoolgirl at times – I swear your little sister is more mature than you at times.”

Jay suddenly threw a red ball towards his friend. “Watch out!”

Jensen reacted instinctively, throwing up his arms to stop the projectile that had suddenly appeared in the space. As the ball struck the surface of his arm in the virtual space, it broke into pixels, which drifted downwards before dissolving into the floor.

Jay grinned. “Congratulations, you just learned the first rule of using a Link – your actions in this space are controlled by your intentions in the real world. With enough practice, you can interact in here without physically moving out there. Rule two – although you can feel stuff in here, nothing in here can actually hurt you out there – you cut yourself with a knife in here and you’ll feel it, but you won’t bleed in reality. Some programs can stop you or create barriers that are hard to pass, but the worst they can do in here is throw you back to your Green Room.” Jay grinned, “I think we’ll stop there for now – don’t want to confuse your poor little head. If you’ve got the time, it might be a good idea to get a little practise in before we go onto anything else.” The AI created a virtual ball again, tossing it in the air before catching it again, “You up for a few games?”

Jensen grinned as the image of his friend tossed the ball towards him. Since the younger boy had disappeared, Jensen hadn’t really made best use of his free time – used as he was to spending it with Jay – and had been starting to miss just the simple act of messing around. He knew the virtual reconstruction of his friend couldn’t come close to filling the hole in his heart that Jay’s disappearance had caused, but it was nice to have something that came close. As his threw the ball back he bit his lip before asking. “Hey, just wondering – are you going to age in here?”

Jay paused for a moment before throwing the ball back. “It’s probably going to be a little corny, but yeah. Not sure how accurate it’ll be, but it’ll stop this thing being creepy when you’re like _thirty_.” He smirked, “If you’re worrying about the fact that I’m not going to be enough of a challenge in a few years, remember that I’m part of the programming here.” He motioned for Jensen to throw the ball back, which he did. To his amazement, the ball slowed to a complete stop in mid-air, letting his friend just reach out and grab it between his thumb and forefinger. Jay chuckled, “So I can influence things here better than you can.” He shrugged, “On the Grid, you’ll end up being a little better, but in here, I’m king.”

Jensen chuckled. “So long as you don’t cheat!”

Jay faked a look of outrage before throwing the ball back. “Me, cheat? The very idea!”

Jensen grinned as he held up a hand to catch the ball, sighing when it passed straight through.

* * *

* * *

Jensen sighed as he turned off the Link, rubbing his hand tiredly across his face.

“You miss him, don’t you?”

Jensen glanced up at his bedroom door at his brother, Josh. He nodded sadly. “Yeah.”

His brother smiled sympathetically. “You really think he’s gone, don’t you?”

Jensen nodded. “There’s no reason for anyone to have kidnapped him – it’s not like he had anything. I’ve got to face it Josh, Jay’s not coming back.”

Josh patted his brother’s hand. “He’s still there where it matters most – in your heart and in your memories.”

Jensen smiled weakly. “When did you get so wise, bro’?”

His older sibling shrugged. “’bout the same time Dad found that poster of inspirational sayings.”

That drew a slight chuckle out of the younger brother. “I suppose I’m a little luckier than most people.” He glanced down at the Link on his table, “At least I’ve still got part of him around – even if the digital version is a little more obnoxious than the real one.”

Josh grinned, before gesturing towards the table. “He’s in there? How is it, is it as good as say?”

Jensen blinked briefly before shrugging. “It’s – it’s different. _He’s_ different. He’s not letting me onto the Grid yet, but you should see it Mack – just the Green Room, the localised environment – it’s incredible.” Awe started to leak into his voice, “Jay’s starting to teach me how to interact with it – no idea how the kid managed to learn any of it himself, but it’s just – _wow_.”

Josh jumped onto the bed, sitting next to her brother. “ _Jen-_ sen _._ ”

Jensen sighed, slightly annoyed by his brother’s whiny tone. “ _Jo_ -osh.”

His brother smiled sweetly. “You know how I never, ever ask you for _anything_.”

Jensen hummed, unconvinced. “Yeah.”

“Well if I promise not to tease you for, like, the next year.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I have a go with the Link?”

Jensen sighed again. “I don’t know Josh.”

“ _Please_?”

Jensen sighed wearily. “Fine, but you’re gonna have to wait until I know how to use it properly first. _And_ you’ve got to run it past Mom and Dad – I’m not getting in trouble if you end up ordering a truckload of porn.”

Josh grinned. “Jensen, I’m _fifteen_. I can get my own porn easily enough, thank you.”

Jensen screwed up his eyes. “And now I’ve got an image of what you do with that stuff stuck in my head. Thanks.”

Josh laughed before standing and swaggering out of his sibling’s room. “Anytime!”

Jensen only got a few moments of peace before his four-year-old sister ran into the room screaming. He quickly slipped the Link off the table and into a drawer before Mackenzie’s sticky little hands could damage the delicate electronics. She grinned before running towards him. “Jen!”

He smiled before crouching down and pulling her into a tight hug. “Mack!” They broke apart before Jensen looked at his sister’s messy hands, “Is that paint?”

She smiled sweetly. “Was doing finger pictures.”

Jensen chuckled. “You look as though you’ve got more paint on you than on the paper. What were you painting?”

Mackenzie grabbed her brother’s hand and tugged. Jensen stood before following her into her room, the smallest in the apartment. She pointed at the paint-splattered piece of paper on the table. “That’s Mom and Dad.” She pointed at the next group of abstract squiggles, “There’s Josh, and there’s me.”

Jensen pouted, exaggerating to help his sister understand. “And where am I?”

She smacked his leg, splattering it with the little bit of wet paint still on her hands. “Doing you now, silly. Needed you here to see.”

Jensen struck a pose. “You want me to model for you?”

Another smack. “Silly Jen. Look normal. Teacher says we get to put them up on the wall.”

Jensen looked impressed. “On the _wall_? Is my little sister a secret artist?”

A voice came from the door and Jensen turned to see him mom. “With the amount of stray paint on our walls? I wouldn’t go for _secret_.”

Jensen grinned. “You want a hand cleaning it up later?”

Donna waved her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing – you were a lot worse. Besides, it adds colour to the place.”

Jensen flushed red, before stammering and escaping the room before his mom could start reminding him of any embarrassing stories about his childhood. He nodded briefly towards where his dad sat in the kitchen, before scurrying back into his room and retrieving the Link from the drawer.

* * *

* * *

Jensen spent a few hours each day in the virtual world of the Link training with Jay until he reached sixteen, at which point the City schooling system deemed him educated and shoved him out the door with a tatty paper certificate proclaiming his apparent skills. However, the skills he wanted were never taught in formal education, so he had to go looking for someone to help him. Jay was a huge help – he’d taught Jensen the basics of developing methods for breaching different forms of cyber-security – but where the AI’s knowledge was limited to what had been originally programmed into it and what had been acquired from the Grid, Jensen and Jay would have to gain any additional knowledge from someone who’d been in the business professionally.

Thankfully, over the years, Jay had managed to cobble together enough information that he’d managed to produce a list of six names that he was pretty sure could give them the help they needed and another one who was a bit of a long shot. Whilst the data didn’t guarantee anything, the slight digital trails across strands of orphaned code left behind after successful hacks, careless snippets of personal information from the forums used by those looking to hire someone to investigate a potentially corrupt employee and Link ownership records made him pretty certain that those names were accurate. Cross-referencing them with City residential records, Jensen soon had a list of names and addresses to check out on foot.

Unfortunately, the first six names on the list turn out to be a bust. It’s not that none of them are what they’re looking for – Jensen was pretty convinced that at least four of them did work in the business of the liberation of private information – it was just that none of them seem to be impressed by a sixteen year old kid knocking on their door asking too many questions.

Jensen sighed before knocking on the door of possibility number seven – the name Jay wasn’t as convinced by. If he were honest, his level of optimism that this door would be hiding the man who could change his life forever was pretty near rock bottom, however, as it opened he plastered on a game winning smile. “Mr. Morgan? Jeffery Morgan?”

The older man who had opened the door a crack frowned around the security chain. “Who’s asking?” He growled, “Not a cop are you? Little young if you are.”

Jensen looked down at his scrap of paper before taking a deep breath. “I’m looking for Flynn.”

The older man immediately narrowed his eyes, something that gave Jensen hope that Jay had correctly identified one of the more successful, if elusive, hackers on the Grid. He glanced Jensen over-suspiciously. “I’m not saying I do, but if I _did_ know someone by that name, why would he want to meet your scrawny ass?”

Jensen took a deep breath before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Link Jay had made for him. He held it securely out of reach, just in case the older man tried to snatch it. “A friend gave me these several years back and I’ve been looking for a new teacher. We’ve heard that Flynn is one of the best and the few fingerprints we found on the Grid led us here.”

The man glanced down at Jensen’s link before pushing the door closed, causing the boy’s heart to sink in his chest. However, it was only to release the security chain and it opened wide moments later. The apartment’s resident beckoned Jensen in, which was further than he’d got all day.  "I'm Jeff Morgan." He smirked, "But you won't call me Mr. Morgan if you know what's good for you."

Jensen nodded politely. “I’m Jensen. Nice to meet you Jeff.”

Jensen followed Jeff into a well-furnished living space, sitting down when a place on one of the sofa was offered. Jeff stared at him for a moment. “You say this guy you’re looking for – Flynn – left fingerprints. What exactly did you find?”

Jensen shrugged. “Nothing concrete, and nothing the authorities could ever use. Just little bits and pieces, fragments of code left behind over the years. Jay put them together and figured out a pattern.”

“Jay?”

Jensen sighed. “It’s complicated.” He paused, “Jay was my best friend until he went missing five years back. He survived though, in a way. He built a Link for me – I found it when the authorities gave me his stuff – and programmed himself into it as the AI.” Another pause, “He was always a bit _odd_ , so as the AI he recognises patterns and stuff that nobody else would pick up on.”

Jeff sounded intrigued. “You sure nobody else could have picked up the same trail?”

Jensen laughed. “Look, you show me another seven year old who can built a Link out of scrap electronics and I’ll show you someone who could piece this all together.”

Jeff frowned. “He was _seven_ when he disappeared?”

Jensen shrugged. “As I said, he was _odd_.” He paused once more, “So, you know anything about Flynn?”

The older man sighed. “He’s retired, kid.”

Jensen persisted. “You know where I could find him?”

Another sigh. “Say he was tempted to come out of retirement, why should he do it for you?”

Jensen twiddled his thumbs nervously. “There’s a lot I can do myself – Jay’s worked out the basics and I’ve gotten good at them. It’s just the more technical stuff we need a hand with, the stuff you can’t just find on the Grid. Flynn doesn’t even need to teach _me_ , if he tells the stuff to Jay, I’ll be able to practise with him.” He paused, “Look, I spent my childhood in the Undercity. I just want to learn how to use the Link my friend made to help my family get some extra money and the few qualifications I’ve cobbled together aren’t going to get me that far.”

The room fell silent for a moment before the older man huffed resignedly. “Fine, kid. I’ll teach you, but this is a one-off thing – no blabbing to your mates that you’ve managed to get Flynn to teach you his tricks.” He glanced at Jensen, “I’m guessing you’ve known I was Flynn this whole time, right?”

Jensen shrugged. “I was pretty sure, but, you know.”

Jeff nodded. “Didn’t want to say anything, just in case you were wrong?”

Jensen chuckled before nodding. “Yes, sir.”

Jeff's lips twitched into a faint smile. “Look, I’m gonna have to set some things up before I can start teaching you.” He thought for a minute, “Come back here, start of next week and we’ll go from there. We’ll start in the mornings at eleven and finish whenever I think works best. That good for you, kid?”

Jensen grinned and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

* * *

* * *

Jensen knocked on Jeff’s door a few minutes before eleven at the start of the next week. It was opened  with a smile. “Come in, kid. I’m just finishing setting up, then we’ll get started.”

Jensen nodded, following his new mentor into the once neat living quarters, now a mess of computer parts and trailing cables that ran haphazardly across the floor. Jeff caught the question before Jensen could ask. “Yeah, it’s a little messier, but it was a good excuse to crack out the old kit, so I don’t mind.”

”You miss this, don’t you?”

Jeff didn’t answer, but the slight smile on his lips spoke volumes. He ran his fingers over a bunch of cabling, checking the connections and plugging the last few loose wires into their relevant sockets. He stood. “All done.”

Jensen looked around. “Kinda impressive.”

Jeff laughed. “Don’t go giving out praise until we know it works.” He bent in front of the central box, resting one of his fingers on the power button, “Fingers crossed this does the trick.”

With that, he pressed down, causing the room to steadily fill will a quiet harmony of hums as each of the components booted up. Jeff rapped his knuckles on the top of the only silent box in the room, the tension in his shoulders loosening when it too started to purr contently.

Jensen looked across at the older man. “It working?”

Jeff nodded. “Looks that way, kid.”

Jensen smiled. “Cool.” He glanced around, “What does it do?”

Jeff sighed. “It’s a small scale simulation of the Grid.” He gestured around, “Most of these babies are running the main kinds of encryption software you’ll find on the full scale version. Good for practising on and without the awkward consequence of the authorities showing up if you hack the wrong one and leave too many traces of your own identity behind.”

The teenager nodded, impressed. “You certainly take your stuff seriously.”

Jeff shrugged. “You wanna be the best, kid? Then you have to practice.”

Jensen nodded eagerly. “So, how we going to start?”

The older man shrugged once more. “Thought it’d be best if, for today, I don’t actually teach you anything. You get out your Link and see what you and your AI can do. I’ve got diagnostics running on everything, so I’m going to have a record of what you tried. When you’re done, we’ll have a look over it and see where I’m best to help. Sound good?”

Jensen nodded before chuckling nervously. “I’m guessing there’s no pressure or anything? Just getting observed by one of the greats – nothing to it really.”

Jeff laughed. “Just do your best, kid. Nobody’s expecting you to be amazing without training – that’s why I’m here.”

Jensen grinned once more before slipping on his Link and descending into the virtual world.

* * *

* * *

As Jensen took off his Link, he looked over to the older man, who nodded with satisfaction before glancing down at a read-out. “Not bad, kid. You might not have the technical ability, but you’ve got a metric fuck-ton of raw talent there, so you’ll go far.” He chuckled tapping the screen, “Your AI probably helps – I’ve never seen one that advanced. You _sure_ your friend programmed it?”

Jensen grinned. “Thanks. Yeah, far as I know, Jay programmed the whole thing.”

Jeff whistled. “That boy must have been something else! The response times on your AI are phenomenal – nothing I’ve seen before even comes close – and it’s not the kinda boost you would get if you over-clocked the processors either, it’s coming from the fundamental coding of the device. It’s years ahead of the market, and I’m betting that even the stuff in development would struggle to beat this. Kinda wish I could get a look at it.”

“He was.” Jensen frowned as he considered the latter half of the older man’s statement, “What do you mean _you wish you could get a look_? Can’t you just plug it in and pull it up?”

Jeff laughed softly, shaking his head. “I _wish_.” He waved a hand dismissively, “A lot of the coding on a Link is encrypted using some weird rotating algorithm. On the standard ones, people have come close to cracking it, but nobody’s gotten through. With yours, I wouldn’t even like to try – the basic readings I got off it are so completely different that I wouldn’t know where to _begin_.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow. “Jay really made it that good?”

Jeff chuckled. “Kid, if that’s the sort of thing your friend could code without training, if he was still around even the _Corporation_ would be headhunting him.”

“Wow.”

The older man nodded. “So, I think I’ve got a good idea of where you are and where I need to take you. I’ll think some stuff over and have another look at the data logs, come up with some sorta plan for the next few weeks. That good for you?”

Jensen nodded. “Thanks."

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, kid, and we’ll crack on.”

* * *

* * *

Three months later, Jeff nodded, impressed. “Pretty good, kid. There aren’t that many people out there who could pull of that hack, even after training with Flynn for ninety days.”

Jensen grinned. “Cheers.”

The older man tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I’m thinking one last test – I’ll crack out the full gear again and load it with the toughest stuff I’ve got. You get past that and they’ll be nothing more I can teach you.”

Jensen, of course, succeeded, causing Jeff to beam with pride. “Got to say, kiddo, even I’m impressed by that. You even threw in some dummy code to divide the firewall’s security features – that was some pretty quick thinking.”

Jensen grinned before shrugging. “That was all down to Jay – he’s downright devious at times. I could almost swear I heard him cackling when he launched some of those more malicious protocols.” He looked a little guilty, “They didn’t damage anything, right?”

Jeff laughed, waving him off. “Your Jay might be a little twisted, but he knows what he’s doing – those scripts were targeted. They took down some of the server defences long enough for you to get it. No lasting harm done and none of the data beyond was touched.” He chuckled, “Course, some people in this profession are against anything malicious whatsoever – say it tarnishes our credibility. I say we’re not the best liked of people – most of the criminal underworld hate us, as do those idiots engaged in white collar crime – so why not play a little loose with the rules? We’re already somewhat shady, so if it gets the job done and doesn’t break anything permanently, why not?”

Jensen nodded. “Can’t help but agree, but I think it _is_ close to the line. As long as it doesn’t break anything, I’m good – but anything more than that? We’re not on the side of the angels, but we’ve got to tread carefully, lest we fall into Hell.”

Jeff smirked. “Nice expression – I’m guessing you’ve been doing some studying in other areas too.”

The teenager rolled his eyes. “Nah, just been listening to Jay too much. I swear that kid’s been downloading philosophy texts from the Grid after I’ve taken my Link off at night.”

Jeff smiled before clapping his hands together. “Well kid, fun as this has been, I’m saying you’re done. Fully trained and all that.”

Jensen sounded almost disappointed. “Oh.”

The older man smirked. “That your way of saying you’ll miss me?”

Jensen shrugged. “I guess. I’m sure I’ll pop it occasionally – see how you’re doing, _old man_.”

Jeff grinned before reaching for a scrap of paper. “You do that kid – it’ll be nice to share stories occasionally.” He scribbled down a few lines before handing it over, “Here.”

Jensen looked down. “Huh?”

“It’s the area on the Grid where I used to hang out, kinda a recruitment hub – you want a job? That’s the best place to look – the guys there know me too. Say you’ve trained with me and you’ll get snapped up in no time. Get a few jobs under your belt and you can even drop that – word spreads fast about good hackers.”

Jensen smiled. “Thanks.”

Jeff shook his head. “Now get out of here. Some of us want to go back to enjoying our retirement.”

* * *

* * *

Jensen’s first job was, if he were honest, a complete disaster. Despite the extensive training Jeff had given him, the difference between practising a hack, either on a local server or on one of the ones Jeff owned that were connected to the Grid, and executing one for real threw him off. He managed to get the data to a mid-level manager, showing that one of their employees was siphoning corporate funds for their own gain, leaving no discernible trace, but without some quick thinking from Jay he would have probably tripped multiple alarms on the server as well as permanently corrupting the data. He also questioned whether he was doing the right thing.

“Jay?”

The AI glanced up at him, looking across the paper-strewn table in the middle of the Green Room. “Yeah?”

“We’re not bad people, are we?”

Jay looked at him for a few moments. “You’re thinking about the guy we exposed, aren’t you?”

Jensen shrugged. “Yeah, he was skimming a little off the top, but he probably had a wife and kids and we probably just ruined his life.”

Jay sighed. “ _He_ ruined his life, Jensen – you saw the files. It wasn’t just a onetime thing – he was stealing thousands, maybe even more.” He paused, “You want to know how I justify it?”

The older boy nodded. “Yeah?”

“Think of me – _real_ me, not this me.” Jensen nodded, “I was kidnapped. For what – slavery, a ransom, black-market body parts?” He chuckled, “Whatever it was, it probably didn’t end pretty.”

The older boy bit his lip. “I guess.”

“We don’t know _why_ I was taken, but I can tell you it boiled down to money.” He waited for his friend to slowly nod, “The kidnappers, they probably have families to provide for, but you want them to suffer, right?”

Jensen nodded again, this time more energetically. “ _Hell_ yeah.”

“So why should this guy get off the hook? His actions were to get money, presumably to provide for someone – so why should he be able to keep doing it? Because he didn’t pull a kid off a street? Because he didn’t put a gun in someone’s face? Why?”

Jensen paused. After a few moments, he nodded thoughtfully. “That makes a kinda sense – still sucks that there’s going to be some kids out there who have to see their dad in jail for a few years.”

Jay shrugged. “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”

* * *

* * *

Jensen’s next jobs went better – even with his claim that he was trained by Flynn, he didn’t pick up anything high profile, but soon he had enough of a reputation that although he wasn’t always the first choice for a hack, he had enough attention that he could usually pick something up. His income was a little sporadic, but steady enough that within a few months he could afford to move out of his parent’s apartment and into one elsewhere on the same level. He even had enough money that he could afford to order a custom frame for his Link – changing nothing about the scrap electronics delicately soldered together, but ensuring that the fragile components were protected by something more than some off-cuts of plastic melted into shape over a discarded lighter. He also started accumulating favours from some of his more regular clients – promises of support and assistance as thanks for a job well done.

However, despite his success, Jensen was bored. His training had prepared him for hacking though top-level security and he was spending most of his time breaking through programming that was relatively simple. Sure, it was nice to be able to afford to help his parents out and to put the possibility of a college education in his sister’s future, but he wanted something _more_.

That break didn’t come for several more years – not until shortly after he turned twenty, in fact. One of his long-term clients had come to him and asked for him to track down whoever was leaking blueprints of projects still in development. It was supposed to be a fairly simple job – hacking through some entry level security on a suspect’s private server, but soon exploded exponentially as each file Jensen uncovered lead a trail to another and another, until the young man was performing some sophisticated hacks on some fairly high end equipment. The leak was eventually traced to the company’s own vice president who, along with a large proportion of the workforce, had felt that they weren’t getting their dues, so had conspired together to bring down the business from the inside. Jensen’s client was disappointed by the result as, between the leaks and the resultant drop in workforce, their business would fall severely behind on their workload. However, in Jensen’s eyes, it was a job well done – he got some much needed experience in high level hacking, and the substantial compensations went a long way as well.

* * *

* * *

Jensen lost his family when he was twenty-two – a brawl in the streets of the Undercity had escalated into a full-blown riot and spread upwards into other parts of the City. Jensen, his parents and his siblings were on their way back home from picking up the weekly ration packs when Jensen dashed ahead, planning on using some of his wages to buy something special for each member of his family. Unfortunately, several minutes after he did, foot traffic began to surge and people began to crush forward, running like animals before an unseen danger. The cause soon became clear – the riots had spread to their district.

Jensen could only watch in horror from behind the shop’s security shutters as the fleeing civilians stampeded past, his heart stuttering as a young body slammed against the glass – crushed against the firm shutters by the sheer density of the crowd. The body was quickly torn away, pulled back into the surging mass of people like a lone minnow into a storm, leaving nothing behind but a bloody smear that glared at Jensen mockingly. He thought that he may have caught a glimpse of his sister’s hair, his brother’s arm, his mother’s scarf, his father’s jacket in the crowd, but by the time he’d turned to look they’d gone – swept back into the seething maelstrom of fearful flesh. He should have forced his way out, smashed through the shutters and tried to help, but that was beyond him – he could do nothing more than stare, frozen by fear, for the time it took the chaos to pass.

Devastatingly, and like so many others over the course of the riots, Jensen’s family didn’t walk away complete from the disaster, causing horrendous guilt to latch itself onto their middle child’s heart. Jensen's brother died almost instantly - taking a fatal blow to the back of his head after stumbling and falling under the stampeding boots of the fleeing crowds. His mother lasted a little longer, clinging to life for several days in an overcrowded hospital ward before succumbing to her injuries as well.

Jensen was the only member of his family that attended the City-wide memorial service for those lost in the disaster - his sister still in critical condition in the hospital and his father still missing. As with many things organised by the City, it was full of words and promise but as Jensen stood there, tears silently streaming down his face, he knew the truth: their words were always fake and their promises always false. Some action might occur, but simply to appease the masses - the City government was still firmly in the pocket of the Corporation, and they weren't in the business of changing to status quo for fear of losing their power and wealth.

It took almost a week for Jensen to hear about his father - the man was found drifting through the lower levels of the City, lost deep in his own world, his mind locked behind pain, drugs and drink. Jensen wanted to do nothing more than reach in and pull him out and scream at him for leaving his son alone, but knew that if his father's guilt was anything like his own, then it was best to let the man drift in within his own head.

The tragic news about his sister came days later when she finally woke - severe cognitive delay, the doctors had said with sad stares. Jensen's heart stopped for a moment. Alongside the loss of the rest of his family, the thought of his sister never recognising him, never living her life in any significant way, just surviving, almost broke him, but he clung on, silently comforted by Jay.

Comparatively though, they were the lucky ones – many families had nobody that walked away from the disaster alive, so a count of three for five was considered pretty good. As time passed, Jensen's sister recovered to the point where she could occasionally stutter out a word or two while staring blankly into the middle distance, apparently a minor miracle considering her injuries. In the first few months, Jensen thought he might have even seen the odd spark of recognition in her eyes when he visited, but was eventually told by one of the nurses that as he aged, that recognition would slowly slip away. His father was no better, housed with his sister and voicing nothing more than the mumbled ravings of a half-mad mind.

Still wracked by guilt, Jensen made himself a promise that the pair would always be looked after in the best care home his money could buy, even if he rarely visited. Which, as more time passed and his hopes of a miraculous recovery shrivelled and died, was exactly what happened.

* * *

* * *

As a result of the disaster, and under advice from the Corporation, the authorities put many of the lower portions of the City under lockdown for several months and began a ruthless campaign to search out and prosecute any and all of the instigators. They even so far as to order full units of armed security into the Undercity repeatedly, chasing down every lead that came their way.

Of course, this knowledge didn’t come from nowhere. Despite their operations usually falling on the shadier side of the law, the authorities – backed by ample funding from the Corporation – approached many of the people who, like Jensen, had the equipment and the ability to hack into top-level servers on the grid and extract information, offering generous compensation to anyone who forwarded information that led to arrests.

It was during this period that Jensen’s reputation amongst those _in the know_ soared from the depths of obscurity to the point where _everyone_ wanted him working for them and he was having to turn jobs _down_ in order that he got some sleep. This rise in fame was also reflected in a sharp rise in his income, resulting in his changing from just a jam jar of savings to having a bona fide bank account with his name on it. Although working behind the veil of anonymity, he also gathered enough support from his clients that within six months of the riot that tore his family away from him, Jensen was holding the keys to a spacious apartment up near the pinnacle of one of the smaller buildings. It was high enough, both physically and socially, that he got a steady stream of sunlight through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living space, but low enough that Jensen could avoid the political struggles that concerned those living in the peaks of the loftier towers. If the wind was blowing from the right direction, he could still hear the distant bustle of the Undercity, reminding him of where he’d come from and ensuring that he stayed grounded in reality.

He met Chris for the first time soon after he moved in and, unused to having so much space to himself, decided that he should rent out the spare room. To maintain the anonymity he needed for his work, he decided that the obvious solution would be to find someone from within the community. He posted a advert on one of the messaging sites that were used both by organisations looking to hire someone to dig a little into their employees backgrounds as well as those that did the digging, explaining his situation. With a little prompting from Jay, he pointed any potential interest towards some server space on which was programmed a training simulation that Jay had built years previously, ensuring that, in the words of his best friend, _he wouldn’t end up with someone who couldn’t tell a packet of data from a packet of sugar._

Chris was one of the few that made it past Jay’s little programming test and the only one whose application sounded as though it was written by someone who actually took their Link off once in a while.

He skimmed through the whole thing, checking there was nothing in it that set any alarm bells ringing, before glancing up at Jay. “What d’you think? Decent guy?”

Jay nodded slowly. “Suppose so. You going to meet him first?”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Course I am. Not handing over a set of keys to a complete stranger.”

Jay chuckled. “Just checking.”

Jensen quickly sent off a message inviting his potential flatmate to meet in a park close to one of the local bars, grinning when a reply soon came back in the positive.

* * *

* * *

Three hours later, Jensen found himself sitting in one of the artificial gardens in the commons closest to his apartment. He glanced at his watch before drumming his fingers impatiently on the edge of the seat. According to him, his potential flatmate should arrive at any moment and being unsure as to how the meeting would go, he was anxious for this to move along.

A voice came from the side. “Jensen Ackles?”

Jensen glanced around, his heart leaping for a moment when he saw the shaggy brown hair and thought immediately of Jay, before calming down when he realised who the stranger must be. He stood and held out a hand. “Christian?”

The man gave an easy grin before taking the offered hand. “I prefer Chris. Chris Kane.”

Jensen gestured at the seat opposite him. “Good to meet you.” The man sat, “So, what can you tell me about yourself?”

Chris shrugged. “Well if I’m right about you, we share the same day job so that takes up a lot of time.” Jensen nodded in confirmation, “’part from that, I’m really into my music. Tried going professional a few years back but nobody picked me up, so I just do the odd gig now and then.”

Jensen smiled sympathetically. “Tough break, but if you like it –“

Chris grinned slightly before shrugging. “I do what I can, but it’s not what pays the bills.”

Jensen chuckled. “Can’t really attest to that myself. My work and play kinda go hand in hand, so I’m happy with what I do and they pay me well.”

“It’s a good job, but I just want that something more, y’know?”

Jensen smirked. “This isn’t just a massive set-up to tell me that you’re bad at paying rent, is it?”

Chris laughed. “Nah, I love music, but I know the world don’t run on love so it’s more a case of doing it when I can.” He shrugged nervously, “That’s kinda why I’m looking for a place – cheaper to share, which means I can spend that little bit more time plucking the guitar strings.”

Jensen chuckled. “Good answer.” His smile dropped a few teeth. “How are you with _unorthodox_ relationships?”

The other man shrugged. “Depends on how unorthodox – if this is a subtle way of telling me you’re gay, I’ve got no problems. If you’re about to tell me your secret fetish is fat, dead animals that stink up the place then we might have a bit more of a problem.”

“Nah.” Jensen waved a hand dismissively, “Nothing that creepy. It’s just my best friend – he’s the AI in my Link.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “What d’you mean? I’ve got no problem with it, just curious.”

Jensen sighed. “When I was a kid, my best friend, Jay disappeared. He’s probably dead, but before he vanished he was making me a Link, gonna be a birthday present.” He smiled sadly, as he remembered, “Got it from the police with the rest of his stuff. It’s nothing like the off-the-shelf models and he programmed himself into the AI – it’s got his personality, his looks, everything.” He sighed, “It made me miss him less and eventually I just got used to the fact that my best friend was the AI and the AI was my best friend. I always hope that one day I’ll find out what happened to the real him, but, yeah.”

Chris patted his back sympathetically. “Shit, sorry man. Didn’t mean to make you tell that.”

Jensen shrugged. “It’s okay, best you know anyway.”

“He sounds like he was a real special guy.” There was a pause, “Wait, he made a Link when you were _kids_?”

Jensen chuckled. “Wondered how long it’d take you, most people take a little while to process that.” He grinned, “Yeah, he was a freakishly smart kid – never got to go to school or nothing ‘cause he was an Undercity orphan, but I’ve never met anyone who was like him. He just got things instinctively and his imagination was incredible.”

Chris nodded. “Sounds like he meant a lot to you.”

Jensen shrugged. “He meant everything. I’ve still got him, but it’s not the same. There's times when I just wanna make him smile, but then I remember that I can't have that, at least not the way I'd like.” He trailed off before coughing conspicuously, “Anyway, anything I should know about you? You a murdering psycho or anything?”

Chris grinned. “Nah, although I’m allergic to vacuuming.”

Jensen smirked. “In that case, I’ll make sure to put the toilet on your list permanently.”

Chris grimaced. “That’s just _nasty_.”

Jensen shrugged before smirking again. “Hey, you’re gonna have to help out sometime and I’m too nice to force you to trigger your allergies.”

Chris sighed. “Fuck. Me and my mouth.” He looked at Jensen, “So, I pass your test?”

Jensen grinned before holding out his hand. “Place is yours if you still want it.”

Chris reached out and shook the offered limb. “You bet.”

* * *

* * *

The pair quickly became firm friends. Chris was fascinated by the fact that Jensen had studied under _the_ Flynn, while Jensen awed by the knowledge the dark-haired man had about the technology and programming that allowed the Grid and their Links to function in the way they did. Jensen tried to pass on many of the tips and tricks he’d learnt, even if some of them were limited by the complexity of the AI on Chris’ Link.

Chris’ friendship did the world of good for Jensen and fast drew him out of his shell. While before, Jensen often had made excuses not to go out – due to his background, he’d never made many friends, and coupled with the guilt he still felt over the loss of his family and his attachment to Jay, he spent most of his time in the virtual world – Chris occasionally managed to get the younger man out and socialising. Most of the time it was to support him when he did a gig in one of the local bars, and even then Chris almost had to drag Jensen out the door, but it got him out into the real world on a semi-regular basis.

However, Chris also acknowledged that it _wasn’t_ something that Jensen was completely comfortable with, so let him spend time with Jay in the virtual world – although he did insist on a lads’ night with beer and a movie at least once a week.

It wasn’t until they had been sharing Jensen’s apartment for quite some time that Chris stumbled upon the perfect compromise – he had contact, to some extent, with a fair proportion of the hacking community and realised that a large number were like Jensen and spent much of their free time on the Grid. There was also the issue that most of them hid behind their screen names and aliases – both for protection and anonymity – so couldn’t easily meet up in person without compromising that. Chris’ idea was simple genius in conception, if a little challenging to execute. Together with Jensen, he managed to build his own anonymous server connected to the Grid that could act as a communal Green Room – hackers could chill out together in the space and take part in activities as a collective in what was essentially an virtual community centre. He even managed to program in the ability to bring Jay into the space, so that Jensen wouldn’t be forced to choose between relaxing with his oldest friend and meeting new people.

The space proved a massive hit, and every week brought a new group of faces onto the server, resulting in Chris spending more and more of his time managing and maintaining the coding behind the hub. To Chris’ delight, Jensen and Jay became regular visitors – they didn’t spend all of their free time there, but seeing that it was more social contact than Chris had seen Jensen make before, he couldn’t help but smile. Jay was also well received – most hackers didn’t bring along their AIs, predominantly seeing them as a tool for their work – but where Jay was programmed to have a more rounded existence, he fit right in with the rest of the community. There were even times when some of the more novice hackers didn’t even recognise him _as_ an AI, which caused Jensen a few laughs when they found out. Occasionally, Jay managed to get one of the novices to bet against him in a game of pool, before pulling off impossible shot after impossible shot, grinning manically as realisation dawned on their faces, before buying them a beer as means of an apology. Almost everyone took it in good humour, so much so that after a few months in, it almost became a tradition and Jensen struggled to keep a straight face every time Jay reeled in another newbie.

* * *

* * *

Jensen rolled out of bed, instinctively slipping on the Link that Jay had given him almost a decade and a half previously.  He had had to modify the device several times over the years, including constructing a custom frame to protect the delicate electronics, swapping out some of the sensors as newer models became available and transferring Jay's careful sensor network onto a larger pair of gloves. As the interface booted up, he frowned. Instead of his usual energetic self, the virtual copy of his friend was just standing in the middle of the unformed Green Room staring into the distance repeating a message on an endless loop.

“ _Find the fallen angel in the highest house of the breaking dawn and learn the truth. Message repeats. Find the fallen angel in the highest house of the breaking dawn and learn the truth. Message repeats.”_

Jensen walking towards his friend and waved a hand in front of his face. “Jay?”

“ _Find the fallen angel in the highest house of the breaking dawn and learn the truth. Message repeats.”_

He took off the Link, before knocking on his flatmate’s door and pushing it open. “Chris?”

His friend yawned in response. “Jen? D’you know what time it is?”

Jensen brushed off the complaint. “Do you know of anything that can affect the Green Room?”

“No. Why?”

Jensen glanced towards the Link in his gloved hand. “It’s Jay, he’s just stuck in a loop and the Green Room hasn’t generated properly.”

Chris sat bolt upright in bed. “Huh?" He blinked with surprise, "That – that isn’t possible. The Green Room is a local environment – the only way it can be forcefully changed is if you know the original coding. Hell, I know everyone who’s anyone in our world and I’m telling you, nobody could hack a standard Link let alone your insane pile of scraps.”

Jensen chuckled. “If I remember correctly, my insane pile of scraps outperforms that thing _you_ call a Link on every test we’ve given them.” He paused, “So you’re saying it’s impossible?”

“Apparently not anymore. What’s actually happened? I might be able to see if I can find anything that sounds similar.”

Jensen shrugged. “The space is half formed, like it was in the middle of changing and just froze. And Jay, he just keeps repeating some shit about fallen angels and the breaking dawn.”

Chris hummed uncertainly. “It sounds like something’s diverting all the processing power to that message, so I’m betting it’s important.”

Jensen nodded. “But who sent it?”

Chris shrugged. “Dunno. But someone good enough to hack your Link is good enough to ruin your entire life in less time than it'd take you to blink. If they’re sending you a message, then I’m betting they’re trying to help you. What was the message?”

Jensen frowned as he concentrated, repeating the message verbatim. “Find the fallen angel in the highest house of the breaking dawn and learn the truth.”

Chris frowned before rummaging in a drawer and pulling out his own Link. “You tried acknowledging the message?” Jensen shook his head, to which Chris sighed and went on, “Well, that might help. At worst case, it’ll do nothing.”

Jensen mentally slapped himself for not thinking of such a simple solution before putting his Link back on.

“ _\- learn the truth. Message repeats. Find the fallen angel in the highest house of the breaking dawn and learn the truth. Message repeats.”_

Jensen nodded. “Acknowledge message.”

There was a pause, before a beep sounded. “Message acknowledged.”

The Green Room blacked out for a moment before reinitialising into its standard configuration. Jay was standing in the middle of the space with a grin on his face. “Hey, Jen.”

“Jay? You alright?”

His friend frowned. “Yeah. Why?”

Jensen gestured around. “Earlier, the Green Room was frozen and you kept repeating something about finding a fallen angel, houses of the breaking dawn and the truth.”

The AI frowned for a moment as several automated scripts opened around him. “I’m not detecting any continued presence and I can’t find anything I can use to track the physical source of the message. There are also no identifying programming idiosyncrasies or recognisable fragments of orphaned code.” His blinked, “I also cannot find any pertinent references containing those terms on any publically accessible areas of the grid.”

Jensen chuckled at his friend, before pulling him into a hug. “You idiot. I was worried about you.”

Jay smiled as he looked down at his friend, his programming having caused him to grow taller than Jensen in the last few years. “Not getting rid of me that easily.”

Jensen glanced up before placing a gentle kiss to his friend’s lips. “I know.”

He frowned as it looked like Jay had frozen again. “Jay?”

His friend blinked. “I – I don’t know what to do.”

Jensen chuckled nervously as a faint blush coloured his skin. “I’m guessing this wasn’t something that was considered.”

“What?”

“Me. Falling in love. With you.”

Jay blinked. “You – you _love_ me?”

Jensen grinned. “Course. How could I not?”

His friend chuckled uncertainly. “You – you do realise that I’m just a piece of software, don’t you?”

“You’re also one of my best friends and you’ve spent more time with me than anyone else, including my family. You’re kind and patient and you make me laugh. You’ve always meant a lot to me and thinking that I might have lost you was the kick I needed to make me realise just how much that was.” His lips twitched upwards, exposing  a few teeth, “I know this won’t meet any definition of normal and that I won’t be able to take you out for a meal or a film. Meeting the family is going to be a bit odd as well, but I love you, Jay. I know neither of us knows what we’re doing, but are you willing to give us a go?”

Jay sighed. “I _can’t,_ Jensen. I’m not saying I don’t _want_ it – but I can’t do that to you. I don’t want you to go out at some point and see any couple and want _normal_. I _can’t_ be the one that stops you having that, just because of some twisted sense of loyalty. I’m not that cruel, Jensen.”

Jensen chuckled. “You really don’t get it, do you?” He suddenly pulled Jay in for a passionate kiss, sealing their mouths together, his tongue demanding entry. After a few moments, he broke away, holding his friends head as he stared into his eyes intently. He emphasised every word, “I. Want. _You_. I. Love. _You_.” He paused, “I've ignored how I felt in the past in order to appear normal, but that's not me. I don’t _want_ normal if you’re not in it. _You’re_ my normal – every day you’re the first person I see when I wake up and the last person I see at night. You’re my everything.”

Jay blushed. “But –“

“But nothing.” Jensen interrupted quickly, “Just one question: do you love me, too?”

The AI chuckled nervously. “Of course, you’re _perfect_. But I –“

“Then that’s what matters. I love you, you love me. What could be simpler?”

Jay mumbled under his breath nervously. Jensen blinked. “What was that?”

His friend took a breath before repeating. “But I’m not good enough for you. You’re _perfect_ and I’m – I’m _me_.”

Jensen stroked his friend’s hair. “It’s _you_ I want – not someone else – _you_. And as for not being good enough? If anything, _I’m_ not good enough for you.” Jay tried to wave him off, but Jensen continued, “You’re _amazingly_ smart. You’re funny. You’re kind.” He chuckled, “You’re fucking _hot_. I’m just some random guy who got lucky enough to have you as a friend.”

Jay’s voice came back, full of nerves. “You mean it?”

Jensen chuckled. “I love you, Jay. I can’t say it any clearer.”

Jay nodded, meeting Jensen’s eyes as the older boy pulled him in for a second kiss, just as passionate as the first, thus beginning one of the weirdest relationships ever conceived.

* * *

* * *

Their first date as a couple was actually quite close to normal. Jay had managed to find a copy of a film Jensen mentioned he’d like to see and when Jensen slipped on his Link that evening, he found Jay lounging on a couch in the middle of the Green Room, holding a large bucket of popcorn while the opening titles rolled on the screen that had been set up.

The popcorn was a little weird – it tasted perfect, but Jensen knew that it was just the Link manipulating his senses – because being virtual it has no nutritional value. However, the feeling Jensen got when he laid his head on Jay’s – fuck, he could say it now, his _boyfriend_ ’s – shoulder and an arm came around to safely cocoon him in a warm embrace _more_ than made up for it. Hell, even just the fact he got to _call_ Jay his boyfriend made up for the slight strangeness that came from chomping on virtual cinema snacks.

The end of the date too was a little weird, if only because it felt a bit too much like in the movies. Jay had separated the space with a wall and door, allowing the pair to give a passionate, if slightly awkward, kiss to each other, before letting the door separate them and allowing Jensen to exist the virtual space without feeling as though he was running out on Jay.

Their next dates followed a similar pattern – there was always an element that was a little strange, and a few parts that emphasised how Jay had learnt his dating technique from old films and literature – and Jensen couldn't help but be touched by the amount of thought and effort his boyfriend was putting into each one.

On one of their dates, Jensen found himself sitting in something he’d only seen in historical films – a classic 1960s diner with checkerboard flooring, gaudy decorations and neon trim – whilst he and Jay fed each other ice cream sundaes with long silver spoons. Jay had even gone to the trouble of populating the Green Room with other avatars resembling customers and staff, just to tone down the creepy factor a notch.

Of course, feeding each other dessert _sounds_ like a great idea and _always_ works perfectly in movies, but that’s not always the same case in reality – no matter how artificial that reality is. They both found out that it was slightly _messier_ than they had expected, and they ended up with their faces covered in patches of stray ice cream and dollops of wayward cream. That’s not saying that it _ruined_ the date – in fact, as far as Jensen was concerned, getting to lick the sweet mess off each other faces was pretty damn good as it quickly lead to a passionate make-out session.

* * *

* * *

Developing the physical side of their relationship beyond enthusiastic tongue-duelling was took both time and effort as both of them found it _highly_ awkward. Jensen had no practical experience in that field and it was so far outside the original scope of Jay’s programming that his reaction was even more stuttering.

However, despite his hesitancy, it was Jay who made the first attempt at progressing that aspect of their relationship by taking control when their mouths were sealed together. Jay pushed Jensen against one of the walls and ran his hands under Jensen's shirt to push it up his body. His intent was clearly interpreted as with a shy grin, Jensen broke the kiss for a moment and  yanked his shirt off, giving his lover unfettered access of his bare chest which Jay took eager advantage of. Jensen's moans filling the air, he kissed his way down his boyfriend's neck, pausing for a second to savour his pulse point, before nipping across his collarbone. He worked his way down Jensen's chest, guided by his lover's groans, until he came to the point where pale, freckled skin met dark denim.

He carefully undid the button before glancing up to meet Jensen's lust-filled eyes. At the older man's nervous nod, Jay tugged the jeans past his lover's hips and let them drop, where they pooled around his boots. He rubbed a hand across the growing bulge in Jensen's shorts, before hooking his thumbs under their waistband and letting them also drop. He licked a stripe up Jensen's dick before returning to his mouth, hungrily ravishing it. Stepping back, Jay quickly pulled off his own shirt, before returning his attention to Jensen's mouth. He slid a hand between their bodies, reaching down to remove his own pants with it, while his other stayed loosely tangled in his lover's hair.

Jay slowly started to move his now bare hips, gently grinding their cocks together and sending a wave of pleasure scuttering up his spine as he captured Jensen's needy groans with his mouth. Jay pulled himself away from his lover's mouth, gently kissing his way over Jensen's cheekbone and down onto his neck. Jensen's head fell forwards onto Jay's shoulder, muscles weakened by the pleasure shooting through his body.

He whimpered, struggling to get a coherent sound out. "P-please."

Jay broke away, grasping Jensen's face between his hands, forcing eye contact. "Are you - are you sure?"

Jensen whimpered again. "P-please."

Jay nodded, before stroking over Jensen's face with a thumb, catching on the corner of his flushed lips. "Love you so much, Jen."

Jensen's mouth twitched into a blissful smile. "Love you too, Jay," he chuckled softly, "Now are you going to finish this, or are you planning on giving me the mother of all cases of blue balls?"

Jay smirked in response. "Don't tempt me."

Jay gently pushed his fingers into his boyfriend's mouth, slowly pumping them in and out to encourage Jensen to liberally lubricate them with his saliva before pulling them out and spitting into his own palm.

He grinned at Jensen again. "I really, _really_ love you."

With that he reached down and wrapped his dripping hand around both their cocks, pressing tanned flesh against pale, before slowly beginning to tug, stimulating them both. He would have cracked a joke at how quickly his lover began to babble, but was well on the way to joining him in the world of nonsensical noises and unfinished words. Every few strokes, he twisted his hand, or brushed his thumb over their sensitive tips, increasing their pleasure and drawing another lusty moan out of his partner.

Feeling his own orgasm approaching, and sensing that Jensen was well on his way, he stilled for a moment. "You - you ready?"

Jensen nodded, breathing heavily against Jay's chest. "Y-yeah."

Jay smiled, before resuming his actions, speeding up his face as his felt his climax begin to build in his balls. Within seconds, he felt his own seed spill across their chests, Jensen's joining it a moment later. "G-god."

He pressed a kiss to his lover's lips before stepping back and controlling Jensen's boneless slide down the wall. He joined him, sprawling against the wood of the wall in post-orgasmic bliss, his boyfriend's head resting on his shoulder.

He placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Love you."

The sleepy response came seconds later. "Love you too, Jay."

There was near silence for a moment before Jensen gave a weary chuckle. "Hey, Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time," Jensen paused, "Next time, you want to go further?"

Jay was stunned for a moment. "Further?" He flustered, "Yeah, I guess? If you want?"

Jensen gave a blissful smile. "If that was anything to go on?" He smirked, "I'm gonna have to insist."

* * *

* * *

Jay drummed his fingers on the surface of a table. “I’ve been thinking.”

Jensen chuckled. “Like you don’t do enough of that already.”

His friend rolled his eyes. “It’s about the message, jackass. I think we’ve been taking it much too literally. I’ve got no idea about the fallen angel reference, but there’s an accommodation complex in one of the towers of the High City – Sunrise Apartments. That sounds to me like it could be what this house of the breaking dawn is.”

“That’s sounds damn stup –,” Jensen paused, “That actually makes some kind of sense.”

Jay smirked. “Course it does. All my ideas are good ones.”

“So, we gonna hack the server, try and find someone who fits?`"

He got a shrug in return. “Can’t see it hurting. At worst we’ll end up with building blueprints and tenant names.”

Jensen nodded before cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck. “Go for it.”

The Green Room around them dissolved and Jensen felt as they jumped on a data packet and entered the grid, flying through the infrastructure until Jay forced them off in front of the firewall protecting their target. As normal, he released a short stream of coding towards the obstruction that would reply with a brief diagnostic of the security measures in place.

When it returned, he chuckled. “You’re not going to believe this.”

Jensen glanced at his boyfriend. “What?”

“Security is pretty much non-existent. Nothing more than a simple 6 character password. “

Jensen nodded. “How long?”

“If you try to build a bypass? A couple of minutes. If you wanna be a little shadier, I can brute force it with a botnet in a second or two.”

Jensen thought for a couple of seconds. “Force it. I can’t be arsed to do a bypass for that level of shit.”

Jay nodded before firing the signal. Almost instantly, the connection leading to the firewall lit up as the traffic along it increased dramatically. Just as quickly, it died away. “Got it.”

They jumped back into the stream, using the obtained password to pass through the wall and onto the private server beyond. Jensen immediately began ripping information onto a storage device as Jay modified the server logs to hide their activity.

“You get anything good?”

Jensen shook his head. “Nothing that looks too promising. I’ve got resident names and details so we can look them up later, but I can’t be sure that’ll give us anything useful.”

Jay hummed. “You thinking about having a look at the individual home servers?”

Jensen bit his lip. “Isn’t that crossing the line a bit? If we're on the job and think a guy's dodgy? Sure. This just seems a step too far. You know?”

Jay scratched at his neck. “I suppose we could use a non-standard search algorithm. We won’t touch their files, but it’ll tell us if there’s anything that’s abnormal on them.”

Jensen shrugged, he’d used similar programs before – usually when he’d been employed to look for fraud or someone siphoning funds. “Go for it. You got one stored?”

He got a nod in return. “I can modify the one we used for the Stark Industries job.”

“Do it.”

Jay grinned before releasing several copies of the program, each of which flew through the private server, seeking out the connections to their assigned target. Within minutes they started sending reports back. “Nothing so far. There’s one or two that I’ve flagged as suspect in case we ever get a request from their companies, but nothing along the lines of what we’re looking for.”

Jensen just hummed uncertainly, continuing to wait. Jay frowned slightly as more information was returned. “Still nothing, and we’re only waiting on one more, but it’s _odd_.”

He got an eyebrow raised as a response. “Odd?”

Jay nodded. “I’ve got _nothing_ back from it. It’s like it was terminated.”

Jensen frowned. “I thought I’d put a retreat protocol into that piece of code. If targeted, it should have returned and told us so. You didn’t mod that out?”

The AI shook his head. “No. That’s why it’s odd.”

Jensen smirked. “You wanna take a closer look?”

“Hell, yeah.”

Jay cautiously launched a package of data towards the mysterious server. As they approached it, another firewall came into view. Jensen cracked his knuckles again, preparing to leap off before they hit it. However, Jay abruptly aborted the connection, pulling them off the Grid and back into the Green Room.

Jensen growled at him clearly annoyed. “What the hell did you do that for?” He calmed down as he saw the fear in his friend’s eyes, “Jay, what is it?”

“It – it –,” the image of the younger boy started to tremble, causing Jensen to pull him into a gentle hug as he stroked his boyfriend’s hair, whispering reassuringly as he kissed him softly.

“It’s fine Jay. We’re safe. Nothing can touch us here.”

He pulled back as he felt Jay relax and take a deep breath. “It’s the coding of the firewall.”

Jensen frowned, he hadn’t managed to get a detailed look at it – is was a little different, sure, but nothing seemed too much out of place from what he could recall. “What do you mean?”

Jay bit his lip. “I recognise it.”

“Go on.”

“It’s practically identical to mine.”

“W-what?”

Jay was silent for a moment. “You know that true AIs are impossible?” Jensen nodded uneasily, before his friend continued, “I’m pretty close, but I’m just a very good VI with a well-built learning package. I can pass the Turing test, but I’m missing that bit that _makes_ something alive, that spontaneity. I can modify my own code, but I can’t put anything in there that’s completely random. There are sections of it that I _won’t_ modify because I don’t exactly know how the original works, parts I’ve never touched.”

Jensen knew the sort of coding that his friend was talking about – he’d occasionally seen examples and still didn’t know how they’d originally been created. “Yeah.”

“One of them is my firewall. It’s identical to how Jay originally wrote it – as in _Jay_ Jay, not me.”

Jensen frowned. “Why would he write a firewall for a personal server?”

Jay shook his head. “That isn’t the question you should be asking. That security code was only written five years ago.”

“Jay’s alive?”

“I – I don’t know. He’s not the primary tenant, that’s some guy call Misha Collins.”

“Have you seen any sign of Jay?”

His friend shrugged. “Nothing on the cameras, but I’d guess if anyone’s going to know, it’ll be him. I’m also betting that this guy is probably our _fallen angel_. His apartment is on the top floor of the complex as well, which matches the clue about the _highest_ place as well.”

Jensen nodded, “What can you pull on this Misha?”

Jay focused for a moment. “He’s twenty-two and has regular medical treatments. He’s unemployed, but has a regular income from Advanced BioSecurity, which appears to be a shell corporation.”

“Go on.”

“There’s no patents registered to it, very little assets and I can’t publically identify more than thirty or so people who have received funds from them in the last three decades. Additionally, all those people are currently either unemployed or have employment elsewhere.”

“Any idea why these people are getting these funds?”

Jay shook his head. “Nothing I can see. In fact, with regards to Misha, I can’t find anything on him prior to him moving into Sunrise Apartments and receiving his first payment from ABS.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow. “That’s not at all suspicious.”

Jay chuckled. “My thoughts exactly.”

Jensen grinned. “You think our mysterious friend is in the mood for a visit?”

* * *

* * *

Jensen knocked on the apartment door. “Mr. Collins?”

There was a shuffling from behind the door, before it opened a crack, the security chain visible, and a blue eye came into view. “Ye-yes?”

Jensen smiled politely. “Hey, I’m Jensen. I was wondering if I could talk to you.”

The young man shook his head, before starting to push the door closed.

“Please. I’m looking for my friend.”

Misha paused. “Who?”

“His name is Jay. Do – do you know him?”

The other man paled. “N-no.”

He quickly scribbled something down on a piece of scrap paper before crumpling it up and throwing it out of the door, slamming shut it as soon as Jensen stepped back. Jensen reached down for the crumpled piece of paper and smoothed it out. He glanced down at the message:

_Undercity central commons. 2 hours._

Jensen nodded, before heading towards the markets, aiming to waste a few hours before heading down.

* * *

* * *

Jensen spotted Misha as soon as he entered the derelict space. He approached when the other man nervously waved him over. He smiled. “Hey.”

Misha glanced around nervously. “H-Hey.”

“Can you help me?”

“W-with Jay?”

Jensen nodded. “You know him?”

Misha glanced around again before pulling down the collar revealing a tattooed letter M on his chest. “Y-you could say that.”

Jensen frowned. “Jay’s got one of those.”

“Y-yeah. We all do.”

“ _All_? Who are you?”

Misha glanced around again. “I-I can’t say here, I’ve got to go.”

Jensen held out a hand to try and stop him. “Please.”

Misha’s eyes kept darting around. “Tomorrow. Ten at night. Supernova. The lower bar. Bring your Link.”

Misha quickly began to pace away, but something seemed to stop him and he turned back. “Jensen, you ever tried to hack the Corporation mainframe?”

Jensen frowned in confusion, but before he could answer, the other man had disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

* * *

Jensen placed the Link back on and Jay stared at him expectantly. “Well?”

Jensen didn’t respond still trying to work out what Misha had said. “Jen?”

“Huh?”

“What happened with Misha?”

Jensen coughed nervously. “He knows you. And he’s got a letter tattoo like you.”

Jay frowned. “Why?”

His boyfriend shook his head. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t say. Told me to meet him tomorrow in that nightclub – Supernova.”

Jay hummed. “You doing it?”

He got a shrug in response. “Guess so.” There was a pause, “Hey, Jay.”

“Yeah?”

“We ever go near the Corporation mainframe?”

The AI frowned. “We tried once, years back, but you were booted off the Grid before you got anywhere near.”

Jensen scratched at his neck. “We still got anything on it? Probe reports, anything?”

Jay shook his head. “Not a thing.”

Jensen nodded before powering off the Link. He quickly knocked on his flatmate’s door. “Chris!”

There was a startled yelp. “Just a minute.”

Jensen waited a few seconds, before impatiently pushing the door open, immediately regretting his decision. “Oh, God. Chris. What the hell? Now I’m going to need brain bleach.”

His friend quickly took off his own Link before finishing buttoning up his pants. Jensen avoided looking at him. “Is it safe?”

“Yeah.”

“Christ, Chris. Put a sock on the door next time or something, and _please_ tell me you weren’t hacking the strip club security cameras again.”

His friend chuckled. “That was a one-time thing Jenny.” He grinned, “This time it was just the –“

“For the love of all that is holy, do _not_ finish that sentence.”

Chris snorted before raising an eyebrow. “So?”

“So what?”

“Well I’m guessing you didn’t burst in because you wanted to join in, having a boyfriend and everything. So what do you want?”

Jensen shrugged. “Just wanted to know what you’ve heard about the Corporation mainframe.”

Chris blinked with surprise. “What the hell for? Please tell me it’s not for a job. You get anywhere further than the first firewall on that beast and you’ll be in cuffs before you even register the fact.”

Jensen frowned. “Not for a job, it’s to do with Jay.”

Chris waited for a moment before replying. “I’ve never risked it, but there was someone, decades back. It was only really a rumour, but he got the furthest. Not all the way, only four or five layers in depending on who you ask, but whatever happened in there sent him mad. He had to be forced to pull out, had been at it for days without food. Was never the same afterwards though, just kept talking about sentient code.”

“Sentient code?”

Chris nodded. “As in a true AI. The data from his Link showed a similar thing – encryptions that recognise when they are being attacked and can out-think a human. Not the sort that Jay used for the security on your Link, that can be brute forced – you hit it with enough force you can crack it. Yeah, we use fancy methods and try and tunnel around security measures, but we’re still doing just that – only we’re looking for cracks in the wall first. Sentient code _can’t_ be just cracked open because it can tell where you’re attacking and reinforce that segment. The only way you can get through sentient security algorithms is if they want you to get past them.”

Jensen paled. “B-but that’s _impossible_. What about the Bergofsky Principle? Unless you’re talking about something like a one-time pad – which won’t really work for a log in system – if you try enough passwords, you’re mathematically guaranteed to get the correct one eventually.”

Chris grinned. “That’s why I don’t believe it exists. It has to have been just an exceptionally good piece of programming. At least that’s what I hope, if it _is_ sentient, we’re fucked. That shit spreads around and we’re out of a job. Complete and perfect security – it’d be a disaster. Somebody wants to siphon billions out of corporate funds, they can do it without worrying that someone like us will be paid to track them down. The police think someone is planning an attack, but nobody can get to the files needed to prove it. Chaos – that’s what sentient code would give us.”

Jensen nodded, he never knew exactly what his hacks had resulted in, but he’d often heard of the authorities arresting people shortly after he sent in material he had acquired, acting on ‘anonymous tips’. “You think it _could_ be done? Could someone make code sentient?”

Chris shook his head. “It’s impossible, you simply can’t just program the true randomness required.”

Jensen thought for a moment. “Yeah.” He paused, “Thanks Chris.”

“No problem.”

* * *

* * *

Jensen drummed his fingers impatiently on the countertop, he’d arrived slightly early for his meeting with Misha, but according to the clock on the wall, the man was running almost half an hour late. Just as he was on the verge of leaving, the bartender slid a tumbler of whiskey across the bar. Jensen frowned before downing the liquor, revealing the writing on the coaster underneath.

_I’m in the back. M._

Jensen looked up at the bartender who nodded towards a door in the corner of the club marked as private. He grinned before sliding a bill onto the bar and heading in the direction indicated. Passing into the darkened corridor he was suddenly pushed against the wall.

He groaned loudly. “Hey!”

A voice growled into his ear. “You want this meeting? Then you fucking shut it and get searched.”

Jensen nodded as the stranger started to search him. After a few moments, he got a grunt and was pulled away from the wall and pushed down the corridor. “Second door on the right.”

Jensen nodded, heading through the poor light down towards the door. Pushing it open, he saw Misha sitting on a disused table. He nodded. “Hey.”

Misha grinned nervously. “Hey.”

“So, you going to tell me anything this time?”

Misha glanced around. “L-look, it’s not that I _don’t_ want to tell you. I-it’s just that if they knew I’d told _anyone_ ,” he gulped, “well, they’ve got ways of making sure I don’t do it again.”

Jensen frowned. “That’s what all this cloak and dagger stuff is about?”

Misha nodded. “I-I’ve got allies. Nobody will hear us here.”

“So?”

The other man sighed before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Me and Jay – we’re only two out of a group of twenty-six. Each of us represents a huge investment, which is why they were _pissed_ when Jay’s birth mother didn’t hand him over. They found him eventually and brought him back into the program.”

“What do you mean?”

Misha bit his lip. “All of us – we were created for their purposes. The knowledge that your friend Jay knew, his skills, even his tattoo – it’s all been built into him. Into all of us.” He sighed, “We’re not – we’re not exactly completely human, Jensen.”

Jensen blinked. “What – what do you mean?”

Misha shrugged awkwardly. “What have you heard about the Corporation firewall?”

“Not much really. One of my friends said that it might use sentient code, but that shit is impossible.”

MIsha nodded. “It is, but the Corporation firewall _is_ sentient.”

Jensen frowned. “What?”

“It’s _why_ we were created. We’re essentially living computers – we’ve got the mental structuring required to allow us to be as unpredictable as a human, but have got the processing power of a world-class computer so can react and adapt much quicker.”

“You’re the firewall?”

Misha itched at his neck. “ _I’m_ not exactly – out of the twenty-six of us, two are spares. But the other 24 are spread across the Seven Cities of North America and the Corporation headquarters.”

Jensen chewed on lip. “Do – do you know where Jay ended up?”

Misha nodded sadly. “As far as I know, he’s plugged into the servers at headquarters.” He sighed, “There’s no direct link from the individual Grids to that server – you can only get to it if you pass through one of the local Corporation servers. That means that he’s got much less work to do in regards to monitoring security, but it does mean that all traffic within the Corporation runs directly through his head.”

Jensen winced. “I’m guessing that hurts?”

Misha shrugged. “It’s not the most comfortable.”

There was a pause. “Where is the headquarters?”

“It was built on the ruins of Key West.”

Jensen frowned as he recalled the map of North America that graced the cover of his textbook on the history of the world pre-Event One. “That’s to the southeast of here, part of someplace called Flow Rider?”

Misha grinned slightly before correcting. “ _Florida_. And yeah, it’s about a thousand miles away.”

Jensen gulped. “A _thousand_ miles?”

 “You’re thinking of trying to rescue him?”

Jensen nodded. “I owe him that. But how the hell am I going to get him?”

Misha hummed. “I _might_ be able to help.”

“ _Might?”_

_“_ I can’t really do that much, but I’ve got a few tricks.”

“Go on.”

Misha bit his lip before holding out his hand. “You brought your link?”

Jensen nodded before drawing it out of his pocket.

“You mind if I mod it a little?”

“What are you going to do?”

Misha sighed. “The only way you’ll be able to get there is if you manage to hitch a lift on the supply shuttle, but the security on it is pretty tough. I’m gonna have to look into it and work out when the next one is due and I need a way of contacting you, so I need to have a way of bypassing the security on your Link to reach you.”

Jensen frowned. “Why don’t you do what you did last time?”

Misha looked puzzled. “Last time?”

Jensen nodded. “Yeah, with your message about fallen angels and the breaking dawn – the way I found you.”

Misha shook his head. “That wasn’t me. Why do you think I was so confused when you turned up?”

“It wasn’t you?”

“No.”

“Who was it then?”

Misha shrugged. “Unlikely as it is, the only person I can see it being is Jay.”

Jensen was stunned momentarily. “H-how’s that even _possible_?”

Another shrug. “Jay was one of, if not, the smartest of the twenty-six of us. I’m guessing he programmed your Link?” Jensen nodded, “In which case, it wouldn’t be very difficult to find it – the few fingerprints it _has_ left are totally unique.”

“And how did he find you?”

Misha chuckled. “With all that data running through his head, what’s to bet that there were at least one or two files that mentioned where I live – the Corporation _does_ like to keep its eyes on me.”

Jensen nodded. “That kinda makes sense, but why did he have to make the thing so damn cryptic?”

He got an eye roll. “In case you didn’t hear me before, he’s plugged into a fucking server – with that sort of data running through his head he’s going to be spouting some nonsense. So if he goes and spouts some more, nobody is going to take much notice.”

“Ah.”

Misha sighed. “So, you going let me mod your Link?”

Jensen blinked for a moment before handing it over. “Just be careful, yeah?”

Misha nodded before closing his eyes in concentration and laying his fingers on the frame of Jensen’s Link. After a few moments, he opened his eyes again and passed the Link back. Jensen frowned. “That was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well you didn’t exactly do anything.”

Misha chuckled. “Yeah, probably should have said. I don’t need to wear any sensors or anything to connect to electronics – it’s one of the _gifts_ we were given.”

Jensen nodded. “You’ll contact me when the next shuttle is due?”

 “If I can sort things in time.”

Jensen smiled before slipping his Link back into his pocket. “Thank you. I know you’re risking a lot.”

“My only regret is that I wasn’t brave enough to do this sooner.”

* * *


	3. Interlude

<direct_connect=active>

<connect_target=4hg9sm39wnk4fneofjeigh9s0afmmdnf0e0f8anaf3jfabnnndhapq9qpgheuwna>

_< connection=online>_

<user_ID=2620_J>

<authorisation_type=backdoor>

_< backdoor=active>_

<@3r+49gw_afjasog83qt0qgjgna_r2=+afag\ea]gka£tshshs)$gphlt§\qrlam>

_< check_authorisation=pass>_

<add_message=find+the+fallen+angel+in+the+highest+house+of+the+breaking+dawn+and+learn+the+truth.>

<message_loop=true>

<confirm_request>

_< confirm_request=true>_

<direct_connect=offline>

* * *


	4. Part II

Jensen had to wait almost a month before Misha contacted him. The day started as normal for the hacker-for-hire. He rolled out of bed in the late morning and booted up his Link, hoping as always that this would be the day when the strange man would give him the go sign.

He grinned at Jay before running through the start of his usual checks. “Any messages, Jay?”

Jay smiled before pecking a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. “A few queries asking if you’re available for jobs in the distant future, but nothing pressing had come through on your standard accounts.”

Jensen smirked as he pulled the AI into a rough but affectionate hug. “Why do I think there’s a _however_ coming?”

Jay chuckled. “ _However_ , you’ve got an encrypted message through the modified communications protocols.” He folded his arms and stared, mildly irritated, “Which, for the record, I still don’t like.”

“Yeah, yeah, noted. Is it Misha?”

The AI nodded. “Of course.”

“Is it time?”

He got a roll of the eyes as a response. “Tomorrow – the western docks, pier 417. Oh-three-hundred hours, military time.”

“Have you prepped the access protocols?”

“Yep. Engineer Ross Shaffer has temporary access to the docks as required for the next two days.”

Jensen chuckled. “Ross Shaffer, really? Isn’t that a bit - you know?”

Jay shrugged. “Possibly, yeah. But I thought it'd be easier for you to remember your mother's maiden name than some ridiculously complicated thing.” He smirked, "Although I'm sure I still have time to change it to something more _conspicuous_ if you want."

“I guess.” He paused, “Anything on what’ll happen once we get into the docks?”

“I’m guessing that’s where Misha will come in - I'm guessing he's coming along though as he's one of the only people who has anything close to familiarity with the systems we'll be seeing.”

"Yeah." Jensen sighed. “You ready?”

“What? To go rescue real me from a bunch of people who have enough power and money that they can genetically create biomechanical hybrids to act as gatekeepers to their digital empire?”

Jensen grinned, both in response to the sarcasm the digital copy of his friend and abnormal lover was displaying as well as the thought of seeing him in the flesh for the first time since he was much, much younger. “You forgot the part where I’ve got to sneak on board one of the most secure shuttles in existence carrying an energy weapon and this Link – presumably Misha as well – then break into a facility that I’ve got no information about and _get_ through whatever security measures they have in place to wherever real you is. Which, knowing my luck, is in the most secure part of the complex.”

Jay chuckled. “Then you’ve got to get out.”

Jensen sighed. “Yeah. Forgot about that.”

Jay grinned. “If Misha’s right, that shouldn’t actually be that bad. Once you’ve disconnected physical me and my _siblings_ , the facility will be down to just standard firewalls and digital security which Misha can take down quite easily. And that’s assuming that you don’t have real me working with you – if you’ve been informed correctly, Misha holds nothing compared to that guy!”

Jensen chuckled before ruffling his boyfriend’s hair playfully. “Don’t go getting all big headed, doesn’t suit you.”

Jay pouted playfully in response. “Can’t help it. It’s the truth.”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that.”

Jay stared at him in a manner that reminded Jensen of his parent's neighbour  Lizzy Williams,  a terrifyingly harsh woman who’d occasionally been roped into looking after him and his siblings whilst their parents were out at work. “And I’m guessing you know loads of other kids who built their friends a Link whilst their age still sat squarely in the single figures?”

Jensen chuckled nervously. “Fair point. You were a smart kid.”

His boyfriend grinned. “I wasn’t just a smart kid, I was fucking awesome.”

Jensen rolled his eyes and huffed. “You really want me to say it, don’t you?”

A sickeningly sweet smile graced the response. “If you would be so kind.”

“Fine.” He paused and sighed despairingly, “Jay, you were so smart, you make me want to put on a dunce hat and do a silly dance.” He glanced across at the AI, “Please don’t tell me I have to do the dance.”

Jay smirked before holding out a paper cone covered in a childish scrawl spelling out a very specific word. “But you just said you _really_ wanted to do it. I wouldn’t be cruel enough to take that away from you.”

Jensen rolled his eyes again before grabbing the virtual paper hat and jamming it onto his head. He then proceeded to dance around the Green Room in a manner he was glad that nobody in real-life would ever see, under the mocking gaze of Jay. After a few moments he stopped, throwing the hat away to one side and letting it dissolve back into pixels. He glared at his lover. “Happy?”

“ _Very_.” He smirked again, “Consider that punishment for letting that Misha guy modify my coding.”

Jensen sighed again irritably. “Fine.”

Jay grinned. “You need to sort out anything with Chris or the team in preparation for the thing?”

Jensen shook his head, confused. “Don’t think so, why?”

His boyfriend smirked mischievously. “I’ve got a few ideas for things we can do to pass the rest of today.”

Jensen twitched an eyebrow with anticipation. “Such as?”

A flash of white was visible for a second as the corner of Jay’s mouth twitched. “Well, if this was a fairy story and it were the night before the hero was going to storm into the evil dragon’s lair and do battle to save the quaint village where the slightly dopey, but stunningly beautiful, princess wanted to frolic with all manner of cute and furry creatures, what would the hero and the lover do?”

Jensen grinned before teasing his friend. “Have a quick kiss?”

Jay rolled his eyes. “I was thinking a little more _adventurous_ and a lot steamier, but if that’s what my princess requests...”

Jensen playfully punched Jay’s arm. “ _Hey_! I’m more than up for the explicit version. Besides, we do have a _lot_ of time to fill.” There was a brief pause, before Jensen moaned indignantly, “Anyway, how come _I’m_ the princess?”

Jay chuckled. “That took you a while.” He smirked, “And you’re the princess because if I remember correctly, you were the one groaning when I shoved my cock in you.”

Jensen tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Touché.”

“You got to go put a tie on the doorknob or something? Unless you want a repeat of what happened when Chris walked in.”

Jensen groaned in embarrassment before burying his head in his hands at the memory – he’d forgotten to lock the door one of the times he and Jay had carried out what they considered the physical aspect of their relationship. Jensen’s flatmate had walked in to find him face down on his bed, wearing nothing but his Link, so lost in his passion that he had discarded the almost instinctual disconnect between actions in the virtual world and those in reality. The result was Chris entering to find Jensen bucking his hips up and down demandingly whilst moaning so erotically that he would have put a whore to shame. Chris had frantically backed out of the room, screaming about needing to bleach his brain and effectively killing the mood. Jensen had apologised later that morning by handing his friend a bottle of drain cleaner with a gaudy ribbon clumsily tied to it with an embarrassed grin and a promise to never expose Chris to the sight of his naked and needy ass again.

Once the memory had faded, he shook his head. “Nah. I always lock my door at night now, just in case something _interesting_ happens in the night.”

Jay grinned before reaching out and resting his hand on the stubble covering the line of his lover’s jaw, his thumb sitting on the centre of Jensen’s lower lip, pulling it down ever so slightly. “Good, ‘cause I definitely thing what I’ve got planned is going to count as _interesting_.”

Jensen stilled for a moment. "Wait, Jay?"

Jay hummed and leant closer, letting his breath ghost over his boyfriend’s lips for a moment, before sliding his hand around Jensen’s head. Jensen pushed him away. "Jay."

His lover pulled back, staring worriedly. "Jensen?"

Jensen bit his lip nervously. "You think this is going to change anything?"

Jay frowned. "What's going to change what?"

"You think Jay- _Jay_ is going to change anything?"

Jay hummed thoughtfully. "No."

"Why?"

Jay chuckled. "It's simple. You love me, I love you. How is getting your childhood friend back going to change that?"

"But he's _you_."

" _No_. He _looks_ like me - you saying you're planning on jumping his bones because he looks like me?" He smirked. "Of course you're not."

Jensen opened his mouth to respond but Jay jumped back in first. "Sure, we _used_ to be identical and we _kinda_ had the same childhood, but we're different now." He chuckled. "It's like twins."

Jensen opened his mouth once more to argue, but quickly closed it again. Jay raised an eyebrow. "You satisfied?"

Jensen stilled before nodding with a grin. He leant forward to kiss Jay, breaking it after a minute. "Yeah."

Jay smiled before returning his hand to the back of his lover's head pulling him forward as he first intended, the passion of the moment restored. As usual for them, it started slowly, lips gently meeting as the mumbled promises of their love to each other.  Jensen’s hands trailed up Jay’s spine, barely noticeable through the thick fabric of his clothing, before hooking over his shoulders, pulling the two of them closer together.

With a flicker of a thought from Jay, the environment within the Link changed, becoming a more intimate space lit by candles and dominated by an oversized four-poster bed in the middle. As Jay slowly began to move Jensen towards it, the older man chuckled. “You know how to please a guy – candles and a big bed.”

Jay grinned. “What can I say? Old school romance is tried and tested.”

Jensen hummed, satisfied. “I’m guessing I should be glad you haven’t sprinkled rose petals everywhere?”

Jay laughed softly. “I could if you want, but I thought it wouldn’t be best for your reputation.”

Jensen grinned back. “Yeah, wouldn’t do to have it spread that I’m a _complete_ girl when it comes to romance.”

“Definitely wouldn’t want that.”

They stopped as they bumped into the side of the bed, Jay pulling back a little before using the extra space to push his lover back onto the plump bedding. Jensen chuckled as Jay straddled his hips. “Silk sheets too, you _do_ know how to treat a girl right.”

The younger man leant down, careful not to put too much weight on his lover’s body before sealing their lips together once more. The kiss deepened as the tip of his tongue pushed against Jensen’s lips, demanding entry. The older man obliged, letting their tongue meet in a gentle display of dominance as they once more mapped the inside of their partner’s mouth.

After a few moments, Jay broke away and began to attack his boyfriend’s neck. Kissing his way down the lightly freckled skin, he searched out the pulse point, nipping lightly at the sensitive skin before sucking at the skin to raise a small bruise, a claim over the man beneath him.

As Jensen groaned, Jay ran his hands lower, slowly unbuttoning his partner’s shirt before slipping them underneath the tee below, running over the firm muscle. As he pushed the fabric up and off, Jensen sat up fractionally, giving his lover the space he needed to remove the layers completely, leaving him bare-chested on the crisp white sheets. Jay’s mouth moved lower, briefly nipping on the collarbone before continuing downwards and across to one of the nipples. Licking at the sensitive nub caused it the firm slightly as the cool air from his lips brushed against it. Moving across the chest, Jay gave the same treatment to the other side before trailing a line of gentle kisses down the soft line of hair that bisected the v-shape of Jensen’s abdominal muscles.

He rubbed his hand over the bulge in the lover’s jeans, causing Jensen to groan louder as he hardened further, causing distortion to become more defined. Falling to his knees, he looked down the smooth, pale skin of the older man, catching his eye and smirking, before returning his attention to the task in hand.

Bending forward, he gently ran his teeth over his boyfriend’s crotch, causing the fabric to scratch roughly against the sensitive flesh underneath. He popped the button, relieving some of the pressure of the tight material, but instead of immediately pulling the garment open, he nuzzled his way down one of the bowed legs down and off the edge of the bed. Working fast he unlaced one of the heavy, utilitarian boots, before removing the coarse cotton sock underneath and placing a soft kiss on the receptive skin of the newly exposed ankle. He repeated his actions to the other boot and foot, the shoe falling to the floor with a solid thump, before grabbing hold of the trousers and ripping them off, throwing them behind him carefully, so as to avoid ruining the atmosphere with the smell of burning denim.

He studied the sight in front of him carefully, except for the black cotton of a pair of form-fitting boxers, the man he loved was completely exposed, the miles of his pale, freckled skin a work of art. However, the bulge and patch of wetness contained by the sole remaining garment served as a potent reminder to anyone who might come across the tableau of what was about to happen. The light touch of his fingers caused the contained organ to twitch as the wetness grew once more.

Taking pity on his lover, Jay hooked his thumbs under the elastic of the waistband of the black shorts before rapidly pulling them off, freeing the older man from their tight confines. Jensen’s cock stood proudly upright, the tip glistening with the pre-cum voraciously flowing from the slit in the crown of the engorged organ.

“God, Jen. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

His boyfriend groaned in response. “Just fucking hurry up. Balls are gonna burst if you keep teasing.”

Jay smirked before glancing over the volume of completely bare flesh before him once more. Lowering his head, he darted his tongue out, capturing a drop of pre-cum as it oozed its way out of his lover’s body, savouring the taste of something that was completely _Jensen_. He licked his way down his partner’s sex, tracing the thick vein on the underside, before bending his neck and allowing the tip of the organ to pass through his lips and into the wet, heat awaiting it beyond.

Jensen moaned loudly as Jay began to suck, bobbing his head up and down a few inches as his hand began to stroke the lower part of the older man’s cock, twisting occasionally to increase the feelings shooting towards his lover’s brain. On each motion of his head, he went slightly deeper, taking more of the organ between his lips every time.

He splayed a hand across Jensen’s stomach as he took more of the older man’s cock into his mouth, allowing him to prevent any uncontrollable thrusts as his lover’s sex started to press against the back of his throat. Changing his angle slightly, he managed to take the organ even deeper, gradually working it in and out in order to prevent his gag reflex triggering. Eventually, he managed to swallow the entire organ down, letting it sit in the tight grip of his throat as the short, pale hairs at its base tickled against his nose.

 Jensen groaned once more. “Fuck Jay, you’re good. That’s damn good.”

Jensen’s hands dropped down to lightly tangle in the younger man’s hair as Jay started to bob up and down, alternating between swallowing the entirety of Jensen’s length into the tight channel of his throat and sucking at the very tip, letting the air brush against the saliva slick, sensitive organ. When Jay started to lightly hum around the dick in his mouth, Jensen started to lose it. His head fell backwards as his lust filled eyes partially closed.

Jay lifted his fingers to Jensen’s mouth, encouraging him to liberally slick them, before lowering them to Jensen’s hole. He started to gently rub back and forward before applying more pressure, slipping the tip of one inside, causing his lover to squirm. He started to pump it in and out, gradually pushing it deeper as Jensen’s core as the tight ring of muscle loosened. After a few moments, he introduced a second, scissoring them slightly to open his boyfriend open. He quirked them, rubbing against Jensen’s swollen prostate, smiling slightly as he swallowed down the pre-cum that oozed out of his boyfriend’s slit as the other man groaned with pleasure.

He reached for a tube of lube, applying it liberally, before continuing to gradually loosen his lover until he was satisfied that Jensen’s body was open enough for him to enter him properly. He removed his mouth from his boyfriend’s organ before quickly slicking himself up pushing his tip against the loosened ring of muscle. He sealed their mouths together in a tight kiss, capturing his lover’s groan in a tangle of tongues as he sheathed himself in one smooth motion. He remained still, giving Jensen time to adjust to the intrusion, until his shorter man started rolling his hips to try and gain friction. He started to thrust, gently meeting Jensen’s rolls at first, before increasing his pace and depth until he was removing all but the tip of his firm rod from within his lover before slamming back in to his hilt at a ferocious pace.

Jensen broke away from the kiss with a deep groan before starting to babble incoherently. “Fuck... There... God... Jay... Harder...”

Jay adjusted his lover’s legs, hooking them over his shoulders to adjust his angle, allowing him to push deeper. Jensen squirmed as pre-cum leaked ferociously out of his firm shaft and his balls tightened closer to it. Jay only had to reach down and brush his fingers against the sensitive flesh before Jensen erupted, spilling all over himself. Jay kept thrusting into the vice-like grip of Jensen’s body, but quickly succumbed to the tight heat, his rhythm stuttering briefly before, with one final drive he shoved himself deep inside his lover, rapidly spilling his seed before collapsing, sated, into a sweaty cocoon around the man he loved most.

* * *

* * *

Jensen woke up later that evening predominantly relaxed, thanks to his _adventure_ with Jay, but with a small knot of apprehension lodged in the pit of his stomach. In just a few short hours he’d be starting on a daring mission into what presumably was one of the most secure facilities on the planets. A mission that would end with him rescuing the physical form of his friend – a form he hadn’t seen in reality since he was a slightly spotty pre-teen – and striking a massive blow to the Corporation and its dominance over the Grid. Either that or he’d probably end up being shot and his body dumped unceremoniously into the desolate wilds that spanned the vast spaces between the Cities that covered what remained of North America.

After a brief shower, he dressed in a utilitarian jumpsuit. It was highly practical – the multitude of pockets provided the perfect amount of space to store the supplies he’d decided upon, as well as his Link and a black-market energy weapon he’d picked up years earlier for use _in case of emergency_. The suit was the sort many service workers wore, at least in the City of New Texas – the metropolis that had been hastily built in the middle of the vast emptiness that formed the western part of the former state that was its namesake. A metropolis that acted as a sanctuary for anyone lucky enough to reach it in the wake of the devastation that followed Event One. Jensen hoped that the basic grey fabric was common to the remainder of the Corporation’s empire and anyone who saw him would mistake him for a maintenance worker making his way to the next item on the day’s work schedule. He’d learnt over his years that certain professions were all but invisible to the people around them.

Checking over his equipment one last time, he took a deep breath and made his way out of the apartment, diverting for a brief moment to tack a note to his friend’s door – a letter that was a combination of _I’m going to be away for a little while_ and _if I don’t make it back_.

* * *

* * *

In the post-midnight blackness, the streets of the City were all but deserted. The only foot traffic, was the essential - service workers transporting goods between the areas in the City, maintenance crews scurrying between jobs  - and the illegal - the constant dark thrum that pulsed through the Undercity, hackers that had darker souls than most taking unethical shortcuts. Jensen, for once, fell into the latter.

A conduit system of tunnels and passageways was threaded throughout the City, serving as the veins and arteries that carried the lifeblood of supplies between the docks on the outskirts and the residential and commercial districts in the core. An access point lay several blocks from Jensen's apartment and, between the false codes Misha had entered into the system and a few loose wires, Jensen found it easy to pop the panel open and gain entry.

It took Jensen several hours to make his way through the tiny, twisting passages of the access passageways - designed to be unobtrusive rather than direct - and to the western docks, seeing nothing more than the occasional member off the City workforce or automated transporter. However, despite his ease, Jensen found himself jogging the last few hundred meters, only arriving at the indicated pier a few minutes before the time Misha had set.

Misha turned up several moments later and chuckled when he saw what Jensen was wearing. “A jumpsuit, really?”

Jensen raised an eyebrow, before glancing up and down the stark white medical coat that Misha had on. “And a laboratory coat is so much better?”

Misha’s grin dropped by a few teeth, as did his voice. “It’s what _they_ always wore around us.”

Jensen realised that the other man was talking about his childhood and baulked slightly at the brief image he’d just painted – that they’d been treated simply as experiments or pieces of scientific equipment, rather than the children they were.

He smiled sympathetically. “Sorry.”

Misha shrugged. “You’re not the one who should be apologising.” He nodded out the window towards the ship docked there, “You sure you want to do this?”

Jensen nodded eagerly, determined that the boy with the bright eyes he first met when he had barely turned five would be free from whatever hell the Corporation had imprisoned him in. “You bet!”

Misha grinned before closing his eyes in concentration and reaching up and placing his hand on a spot of the wall that at first glance appeared completely unremarkable. Seconds later, a panel slid back, creating an opening out into the fuel-heavy air outside. Misha gestured towards the open panel. “Ready for a little jump?”

Jensen looked out across the fucking _massive_ gap and towards the scarily narrow ledge that he presumed was their target. “Are you _shitting_ me?”

Misha waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not _that_ bad.” Jensen raised an eyebrow with disbelief, at which point Misha chuckled, “Okay, it _is_ bad, but it’s the only way on board – there’s an access point there that’s the only hatch on that entire ship that _isn’t_ alarmed.”

Jensen sighed. “ _Fine_. You going first, or am I your guinea pig?”

Misha smirked slightly before shrugging. “I’ll go first, it that’ll ease your delicate nerves.”

“ _Hey_! You saying I’m fragile or something?”

Misha grinned before artfully leaping across the gap and landing perfectly on the thin strip of metal. “Not my fault you make it so easy.”

Jensen growled before throwing himself across the space, precariously balancing just on the very edge of his feet until Misha threw out an arm to stabilise him. Once Jensen had nodded to reassure the man that he was safely on the ledge, Misha placed his hand on the control panel for the indicated hatch, concentrating as he battled his way through its security protocols. Jensen bit his lip nervously as the hull of the ship began to vibrate slightly, a sign that the engines were beginning their start-up procedure. Thankfully, the hatch soon rapidly slid open, a slight breeze created as the pressure stabilised. Misha nodded that Jensen should squeeze himself through the narrow space before jumping through it himself. As the panel slid shut behind them, the vibrations passing through the ship intensified as the engines started up fully.

Jensen breathed a deep sigh of relief. “That was tight!”

Misha shrugged. “If we’d gotten onboard too much earlier, we’d have been caught by the pre-launch security sweeps they do.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Please tell me that getting off at the other end is a little easier.”

“It should be.” Misha grinned, “No promises though.”

They both fell quiet as they felt the craft being to move, presumably lifting itself out of the docking cradle and towards the open sky. Once the noise of the engines had stabilised, Jensen glanced across the small room. “How long does it take to get there?”

“Forty or fifty minutes by my reckoning – these ships aren’t the fastest, but they’re good enough for hauling cargo.”

Jensen nodded before pulling a well-worn pack of cards out of one of the pockets of his jumpsuit and showing them to his travelling partner. “You up for a few games?”

Misha grinned. “Sure, but I should probably warn you, I’m damn good.”

Jensen smirked. “So am I.”

* * *

* * *

Misha threw his cards down in desperation, before glaring at Jensen. “I swear you’re cheating, but I’m gonna admit defeat. For now.”

Jensen smirked. “Told you I was good.”

Misha shook his head. “ _Nobody_ is that good.” He nodded towards the deck, “How are you doing it – stacking the deck, marking the cards – what?”

Jensen grinned smugly. “Pure skill.”

“Bullshit!”

Jensen nodded his head and smirked lazily. “I _might_ have had a slight advantage in the fact that it was _Jay_ who taught me. He’s got one of the best poker faces I’ve ever seen, so after learning to read him, anyone else is _easy_.”

Misha sighed wearily. “Well _that_ explains it. Everything I learn about that kid just make me more and more amazed as to _how_ gifted he is. All twenty-six of us are good, but the way you describe him? I can see why they've deployed him where they did.”

Jensen grinned. “Kinda why I’m so desperate to get him back. I only saw the bare bones of what he was capable of, but the version of himself in the Link he built – if the real thing is _anything_ like that I can’t see why I won’t love him just as much.” His confidence dipped slightly, “That is if he’ll have me.”

Misha patted the older man’s shoulder reassuringly. “Hey, you’re risking life and limb to go rescue him. Did you ever read any of the classics? Of course he’ll have you.”

Jensen shrugged before staring down at the scuffed floor as the tight space fell silent save the distant thrum of the engines. After a few moments he glanced back up. “You think we’ll be arriving soon?”

Misha shrugged uncertainly before he replied. “We’ve been in the air for well over half an hour. If I were to guess, I’d say we were on approach. Estimating, we’ve probably got ten minutes until docking, fifteen until we need to make our move.” He grinned nervously, “But I’ve never broken into a secure facility before, so who knows?”

Jensen shrugged. “Hey, you got us this far, and I’m guessing you _do_ have a plan for when we get to the other end?”

The younger man shrugged. “I’ve got the floor plans in my head and can hack most of the security systems, but this really is just going to be the sort of thing we make up as we go along.”

He got a frown in return. “Well that’s reassuring.”

Misha laughed. “Relax. What’s going to happen is going to happen. Might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.” He paused before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a laminated square. "Here, catch."

Jensen snatched the square out of the air before glancing at it. "What's this?"

"ID badge. Managed to get my hands on some half decent forgeries - clip it to your pocket."

Jensen nodded, before clipping it on.

The space fell silent once more. After a few minutes, Jensen sighed. “Misha, can I ask a favour?”

Misha shrugged. “Sure. What is it?”

Jensen bit his lip awkwardly. “If this all goes to hell and I –“ he waved his hand, condensing an entire range of death scenarios into a single gesture, “Will you push on and try to get Jay out? He deserves that and if I’m gonna – you know – I’d like to think it was worth something.”

Misha nodded solemnly. “As long as you promise me something, too.”

Jensen nodded. “Anything.”

“If it looks like they’re gonna get me, finish me off first.” Misha took in the look of shock on his teammate’s face, so explained, “I’d rather be dead than have to go back to being _that_. They’d bind me into a prison of my own mind for their gain. If it came to it, I’ll take freedom over that in any way I could, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

Jensen nodded, trying not to connect what Misha was saying to the memory of his friend. He feared if he did, and they failed to rescue Jay, his nightmares would become filled with pleading blue-green eyes. Thankfully, that thought was interrupted by a sudden jolt in his stomach as the craft started to rapidly descend.

He glanced across at his companion. “Is this it?”

Misha nodded as he braced himself for the turbulence of landing. “Once we’re down, we should probably get into the docking warehouse as soon as we can.” He chuckled nervously, “Don’t want to still be on board when they take back off.” He paused, “When we’re in, I’ll try hacking the internal network. We’ll plan things from there.”

Jensen nodded. “What you think the security is gonna be like?”

Misha shrugged. “Network security will be a bitch, but manageable. I’m _hoping_ that they’re not gonna have a great deal of physical security – it’s a small complex so I’m thinking they’re not going to have a huge population of security guards or anything, but there’s definitely going to be cameras, sensors, locks and all that sort of stuff, but we’ll deal with that as it comes.”

* * *

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jensen was crouched down behind some heavy-duty metallic crates in a darkened storage area that was part of the massive subterranean warehouse and hangar complex that lay five to ten miles to the east of the main complex. He glanced over at Misha, who was frowning with concentration as he rapidly hacked his way into the internal security system.

When Misha blinked , returning to reality, Jensen stared at him. “Well?”

Misha grinned. “It’s looking good. You want the bad news first, or the good?”

Jensen smiled apprehensively. “Good first, I guess.”

“The good news is that there are very few security personnel in the main part of the complex. There’s a rapid response team that can be called in either by the staff or by the system, but if we’re careful, there shouldn’t be that many issues once we’re in the main section.”

Jensen nodded. “That’s _definitely_ good news. Why don’t I think I’m going to like the bad half as much?”

Misha chuckled heavily. “You won’t – trust me.” He took a deep breath, “ _Getting_ to the central complex is the fun part. Unless you’re planning on swimming and having a _very_ good explanation for why we’re walking around in dripping wet clothes, there’s only one way in or out. The _out_ bit I’m not too bothered about yet, it’s getting _in_ that worries me.”

Jensen bit his lip as he nervously played with a longer strand of his hair. “What’s the problem?”

Misha sighed. “The only way we can get in without raising too many questions is to use the transportation shuttles – glass carriages whizzing back and forward down a narrow strip of concrete, passing through one of the most complicated security scanners I’ve ever even _heard_ of ever time they enter or leave. I can’t see how we’re getting past it without setting something off.”

Jensen thought for a moment before sighing. “We’ve gotten this far, so there’s no sense in rushing forward and wasting our chance. I hate leaving Jay with them a minute longer than I have to, but getting him out _is_ the priority.”

Misha swallowed loudly before nodding. “I agree. I’m fighting against the part of me that wants to just storm in there and tear it all down, but I agree. So what are we gonna do?”

“For now, we’re gonna watch. As with the stuff on the Grid, I don’t believe in perfect security, so we watch. We find the weakness and we use it.”

* * *

* * *

They soon found a unused part of the warehouse complex that not only subtly protruded out of the brow of one of the gentle hills, offering excellent views of almost the entirety of the track the transportation shuttles run on. Jensen’s gaze fixated on the cold grey concrete, scanning for anything they could exploit but Misha nudged him almost instantly. “ _Dude_.”

Jensen turned towards his friend. “What?”

Misha gestured at the view out the window. “ _That_.”

Jensen blinked as his took in the breathtaking landscape visible out of the narrow windows of the structure. Growing up in a City, where the main source of colour in the world came from the pixels of a digital screen, and gloomy gray clouds obscured the sky, the brilliant  landscape in front of him  brought out a sense of childish wonder in him. Crystal blue water formed a huge still pond. The horizon was crowded with trees so vividly green that Jensen struggled to believe that they could even be real. In the distance he saw the island that housed the heart of the complex.  In all of the seven Cities of North America – or at least Jensen presumed that was the case, considering how they were always told that the Cities were all build from the same specifications – the Corporation building always towered above its neighbours, proclaiming the supreme power of the organisation. The complex that served as their headquarters however was a complete contrast. Although he couldn’t see anything in great detail as it sat just shy of the horizon, it was clear that no part of the facility rose considerably above the tree line and that the architectural style was as far removed from the utilitarian concrete and steel lines where the remainder of humanity lived. Instead, it was light and flowing, graceful silver curves that grew out of the landscape rather than being imposed on it, full of delicate ornamentations and polished surfaces in comparison to harsh corners and grime. There was form over functionality and style over substance. Design was limited by imagination rather than cost.

He frowned before turning to Misha. “This – this doesn’t make any sense.”

The younger man tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Jensen waved his hand indicating the landscape around them which was full of life. “I thought Event One killed off everything. That we ruined the planet to the point where nothing would grow in the ground for millennia and that life outside the Cities was impossible.” He paused, as he considered the idea he was implying, “It doesn’t look like that to me.”

The room fell silent as Misha processed what his companion was implying. “You think we’re being conned? That they’re forcing us to live in the Cities when we don’t need to?”

Jensen shrugged. “Not saying that for certain, but the evidence out there isn’t giving a strong case against it.”

Misha slowly nodded. “I’ve got to agree with you. Playing devil’s advocate, we don’t know what the areas around the Cities are like, but seeing how we’re always told that the land would never recover, it does raise questions.”

Jensen hummed supportively before letting his eyes run back to the shuttle track, scanning rapidly back and forward along the clean lines of the concrete arching over the span of water, desperately scanning for any weakness that would allow them to reach the main compound without setting off any alarms – physical or otherwise.

After ten minutes of constant staring, Jensen sighed before turning to Misha. “I don’t think we’re gonna get across in the day – there’s too much traffic and, unless we’re planning on actually riding in one of the _highly secure_ transport shuttles, I can’t see us getting across in the daylight. You think it’s quieter at night?”

Misha shrugged. “Possibly. You thinking of staying here and waiting to see?”

Jensen nodded before perching on a rusting crate and rummaging back into his pockets for the cards again. “We’ll keep checking every fifteen minutes or so. Possibly more when it gets later.” He gestured with the cards, “You up for playing again?”

The younger man chuckled. “It’s not that fun if you win every game, you know?”

“I’ll let pick the game. Make it easier for you to win at least _once_.”

Misha grinned before reaching for the cards. “Alright then, let’s see how you do with this.”

* * *

* * *

Long after the light of day faded into the inky black of night, they were still hidden in their little corner of the warehouse. Misha threw his cards down. “I’m giving up.” He rolled his eyes at Jensen’s cheeky smile, “I’ve now gone through every card game I know – _every one_ – and you, you fucking bastard, still manage to beat me. _Every damn time_.”

Jensen chuckled. “Guess I’m just lucky.” He paused before glancing through the windows to the floodlit track which, even in the small hours of the night, had shuttles regularly passing back and forward. He sighed, “So much for quieter at night.”

Misha nodded sympathetically. “We’ll have to think of another way. You got any ideas?”

Jensen shrugged. “Kinda. It’s a bit risky ‘cause we don’t actually know what they’ll do, but I think it might work.”

“Go on.”

Jensen grinned maliciously. “Sabotage.”

Misha sighed. “And you don’t think anyone is going to get suspicious when they find that someone’s been pulling wires?”

Jensen shook his head. “Wasn’t thinking that.” He shrugged, “Thought we could hack the system, maybe trigger some kinda safety shutdown. System goes down, there’d be a lot of guys wandering the track looking for the issue – they wouldn’t notice two more. Especially if we do it at night – they’d all probably be tired and even less likely to pay attention.”

Misha slowly nodded as he thought it through. “Could work.”

Jensen smiled nervously. “What you think the system security would be like?”

“Not sure,” Misha shrugged, “Probably nothing _too_ secure. It is just a transport shuttle.”

Jensen nodded. “You want me to take it? Don’t want to be giving you _all_ the work.”

Misha paused before sighing. “I don’t mind doing it – it’s not the nicest thing having to have that stuff streamed straight into your brain – but it guarantees that the hack will work, no matter what the security.” He shrugged, “Besides, the modification I can make won’t be quite as recognisable as one done on a Link.”

Jensen blinked. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” Misha grinned, “Besides, if we pull this whole thing off, it's gonna be _good_.”

Jensen nodded. “Touché.”

* * *

* * *

Misha glanced at Jensen as he jimmied the cover off a system control panel that was hidden from sight by the track arcing over them. “You ready?”

Jensen checked his pockets, confirming that he had everything they would need once they reached the heart of the compound. “As I can be.”

Misha grinned before reaching up and closing his eyes as he interfaced with the electronics. Within a few moments, the spotlights illuminating the track started to switch off, fading to a dim glow for a moment before plunging into darkness. The few shuttles travelling along the track also came to a grinding halt, squealing slightly as their emergency brakes were applied.

As soon as he spotted what was happening, Jensen tapped Misha on the arm. Misha slowly opened his eyes before Jensen removed his hand. He pushed the panel cover closed. “It worked?”

Jensen nodded. “Appears so. Ready for a little walk?”

Misha nodded before following Jensen towards a service ladder that climbed up the side of one of the supports, leading to the track above. Once on the main surface, they pulled small torches that they had acquired from a half-empty and seemingly forgotten supply container in the warehouse and flicked them on, illuminating a small area in front of them. Nodding at each other, they began to walk the ten-mile stretch of roadway that led them in the direction of their friend and goal, Jay.

After over an hour of walking, and after just under half the distance to the main compound, Jensen and Misha settled into the silent flow of walking through the inky blackness of the night, occasionally having to dodge around a powered down goods shuttle. That changed in a heartbeat when Jensen suddenly froze and grabbed Misha’s arm. Misha glanced at him. “You alright?”

Jensen shook his head before pointing back in the direction they came. “Look.”

Misha squinted slightly, before nervously biting his lip. In the distance, he could see a bright light, rapidly approaching. “Shit.”

Jensen nodded, before reaching down and unzipping the pocket that carried his pistol. He pulled it out and checked the clip, before hiding it in his jacket. He nodded towards the approaching vehicle. “What d’you think we should do?”

Misha shrugged. “We don’t really want to start shooting before we get to the main compound – it’d give us way far too easily. Maybe try winging it? Pretend we’re new staff and decided to walk instead of waiting for them to fix the system?”

Jensen nodded as he thought. “Could work. If it doesn’t, we’re gonna have to start blasting.”

Misha sighed before nodding, agreeing with Jensen’s statement. By that point the approaching craft had gotten too close, so Jensen just held up a hand in greeting as they were caught in the beam of its running lights. When it slowed to a halt beside them, it was clear it was a maintenance shuttle. The driver’s window rolled down and a head popped out, grinning. “Hey.”

Jensen smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. “Hey.”

The driver gestured at the two of them. “So, what you doing?”

Jensen chuckled. “We’re new.”

The driver raised an eyebrow before Misha took over. “We arrived a few hours back and have some meeting thing early in the morning – orientation or some shit.”

The driver nodded sympathetically. “The guys tell you to walk it?”

Jensen nodded. “Kinda sucks, but we don’t want to make the wrong impression on our new bosses. The system went down and, well, here we are.”

The driver shrugged. “We’re gonna be out here for half the night looking for the fault that tripped the switch. Damn technology – it’s all too sensitive nowadays.”

Misha grinned. “Just one of those things I guess. To be honest, the walk isn’t half bad – pretty tranquil.”

The driver sighed. “You get used to it.” There was a pause, “Not that I want to take you away from your _tranquil_ walk, but you want a ride? I’m going all the way across and it’ll let you catch a few more winks of sleep before your morning of fun and games.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow. “That exciting, is it?”

The driver chuckled. “Just you wait.”

The side door slid open and Jensen and Misha cautiously boarded the craft,

The driver stuck out his hand for a handshake as the door closed behind them. “Chad. Chad Lindburg.”

Jensen and Misha shook the offered hand, giving out the names on their badges,

“Dean Winchester.”

“Jimmy Novak.”

The driver, Chad, grinned again. “Well Dean, Jimmy, hope you like rock ‘cause in the Chadmeister’s ride, we follow the rules. Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cakehole.”

The crackle of centuries old classic rock filled the shuttle causing Jensen to grin slightly. As the chorus struck, Chad started to sing along. “ _Sweet home Alabama. Where the skies are so blue. Sweet home Alabama. Lord, I’m coming home to you_.”

Jensen glanced across at Misha, before whispering. “Alabama?”

Misha chuckled. “One of the former parts of North America – about 600 miles to the northwest of here.”

Jensen nodded before Chad grinned at them again. “You fans of the old classics? I had a buddy swipe me a copy of this outta the archives.” He paused before frowning, concerned, “You won’t tell anyone, right?”

Jensen laughed it off. “Course not. Everyone’s got a guilty secret or two lying around.”

“You willing to spill?”

“Nah.” Jensen chuckled, “I’m planning on going for the whole _mysterious stranger_ vibe when I’m looking for a hook-up – don’t want to ruin that by spilling the beans and having it spread.”

The driver snorted. “Good answer man.” Another pause, “Although I might have to spread a few rumours if I think you’re going to be in competition for the ladies.”

“No issues there.”

Chad frowned. “Huh?”

Jensen blushed. “I’m kinda more into the guys.”

The was a moment’s silence before Chad nodded. “And you two are – _together_?”

Misha frowned in exaggerated disgust. “God, no.” He chuckled, “Just met on the ride in and got chatting. I prefer my dates to have a few more assets under their shirt anyway.”

Chad nodded. “Got it. So you’re gonna be my new competition?”

Misha shrugged. “Guess so.”

Jensen glanced out of the front window as he saw the roadway begin to approach the shore of the island that held the main compound. In a few minutes, they would be passing though the security checkpoint and would be another step closer to finding Jay. He made eye contact with Misha who subtly nodded.

As Jensen fingered his weapon, running through possible scenarios in his head, Misha continued to distract Chad, directing the conversation to ensure that their backstory wasn't examined too closely. “So, Chad, what’s there to do down here?”

The driver shrugged. “Depends Jimmy, what do you like?”

“Bit of this, bit of that. Just want to relax when the coat comes off.”

Chad thought for a moment. “There’s a plaza in the centre of the compound. Most people just chill there in the evenings – have a few drinks, whatever.”

Misha nodded. “Sounds good.”

Chad slowed the shuttle down as they approach the checkpoint, causing Jensen to tense. He rolled the window down as he coasted to a halt, before nodding at the guard. “Hey.”

The guard grinned. “The Chadmeister! How’s it going?”

Chad shrugged. “So-so. Damn annoying about the system tripping out. Was looking forward to a quiet night.”

“Yeah, right! A quiet night for you involves drinking the bar dry.”

Chad rolled his eyes and huffed. “That was _one_ time.”

“Sure, man. You got anyone riding with?"

“Yeah. Two newbies.”

Jensen's grip tightened on his gun, but the guard’s radio squawked, distracting him,

“Go ahead, dude. Just remember to point out where they’re going in the morning and don’t torture them too much with your taste in music.”

Chad laughed before moving forward. He called out of the window before closing it. “You know you all love it, really!”

Chad chuckled to himself as they slowly approached the heart of the compound. He turned back towards his passengers. “You two know where you’re supposed to be, or you want to give me another excuse to slack off work?”

Jensen smirked. “Much as we’d love to do that, I think we can find our own way.”

Chad shrugged before pulling to a halt near some of the outlying buildings. He pointed. “HR is in the big building over there – they’ll give you your shit in the morning. For now, I’d crash on the sofas in the lounge – it’s the only thing open now and they’re pretty damn comfortable. Go round the back and down the steps.”

Misha nodded before sliding the door open. “Cheers.”

Jensen also added his thanks. Chad winked at them. “Later dudes.”

As the shuttle moved away, Jensen shook his head in disbelief. “He _was_ crazy, right? I mean, like proper certifiable, ‘cause I refuse to believe someone like that is completely normal in the head.”

Misha shrugged. “Guess. He did get us through security though.”

Jensen nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. If we pull this off, we’re so gonna have to send him some beer or something.” He chuckled, “Maybe some pills too.”

* * *

* * *

Within thirty minutes of Chad leaving them, Jensen and Misha had managed to find their way into the service areas of the complex and had located a room full of old and abandoned furniture in which to sleep. Jensen knew that it was a bit of a risk, as the longer they spent in the compound, the bigger the chances they would be discovered. However, he accepted Misha’s point that they were both physically and mentally exhausted and once their bodies ran out of adrenalin, they’d most likely collapse – which was definitely not the ideal state to be in for a fairly technical infiltration and rescue operation.

The location they chose also offered Misha the perfect opportunity to hack into the local network for the first time and gather the information they needed to plan the rest of their mission, as clearly labelled network conduits ran the length of the service corridor outside the room.

However, rest was the priority – and what better place than a disused room full of soft furniture?

When Jensen awoke a considerable time later, it was clear that Misha had already been up for some time and was grinning cheekily as Jensen rolled off the sagging sofa. “How’s sleeping beauty today?”

Jensen shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face. “What time is it?”

“Mid-afternoon.”

Jensen bolted upright. “You didn’t wake me?”

Misha waved him off. “We’re going to have to do this at night anyway, so I thought it was best to let you get some sleep. Unless you _really_ wanted to watch me hack into their network?”

Jensen shrugged. “I could have kept watch.”

Misha shook his head. “It would have looked suspect. On my own I just looked as though I was doing some repairs or something – few people passed me but nobody said anything.”

Jensen conceded the point. “So, what you learn?”

Misha hummed disappointedly,

“Not as much as I’d like.” He sighed, “They’re definitely here – most of the network traffic has got their fingerprints all over it, but there’s nothing that outright states it. Thinking about it, I can see why – it’s not exactly the most ethical thing, growing kids like me and Jay to use as computers, so I can see _why_ the Corporation would keep quiet about it, which is both good news and bad news for us.”

Jensen nodded. “In what way?”

Misha chuckled. “Well the _bad_ news is that there’s nothing concrete marked on the plans – not many people know what they’re doing, so why advertise?” He paused, “I’m pretty sure I know where they are though – there’s only one area that makes sense.”

“And the good news?”

Misha smiled. “You’ll like this. The _good_ news is that where so few people know that Jay and the others exist, there’s not going to be many who wonder why we’re taking one of the Corporation’s prized assets out for a midnight stroll.”

Jensen nodded. “That’ll make getting away a lot easier.”

“Exactly.”

“So, where do you think Jay is?”

Misha chuckled. “You’re not going to believe this, you know the Corporation’s logo?” He quickly drew it in the dust of the floor – a modern styling of a triquetra enclosed by a circle, an adaptation of an ancient symbol for protection and unity – before tapping it with a finger, “There’s a massive version of one embedded in the ground in the middle of this facility with everything else arranged around it. Underneath it, there’s a room – it’s several stories down, but that reinforced glass is essentially the ceiling.”

Jensen nodded. “Makes a kind of sense – easier to run cables to and from a central location.”

“It’s also the right size, and the high ceiling serves to draw any heat up and away from the electronics in the space.”

Jensen chuckled. “I’m guessing we’re not going in through the roof?”

Misha shook his head, grinning. “Thought it’d be a bit too much of a cliché for us to drop down to rescue the guy as shards of glass glisten in slow motion around us.” He smirked, “Nah, it’s boring, but we’re going to take the standard way in – there’s a slightly larger chance we’ll be caught that way, but it’s also less likely to attract attention.”

Jensen nodded thoughtfully. “You know how to get to Jay down there?”

Misha shrugged. “As I said, I’m not guaranteeing that this is where he’ll be, but if it is, the route is pretty easy. That’s not saying _getting_ there is going to be easy – there’s about a dozen layers of security between here and there – but the _route_ is easy – it’s all in the sub-levels and this compound doesn’t have too much construction, even _below_ ground.”

“What’s the security gonna be like?”

Misha hummed uncertainly. “Tricky as a _bitch_ , but it’s predominantly electronic, which doesn’t pose too much of an issue. It’s the stuff that isn’t that I’m worried about.”

“Go on.”

“There’s some cameras and sensors, but they won’t be too bad – I’ll hack the system and loop the footage. Our biggest problem is that the route we need passes through a proper security checkpoint, and it’ll have _guards_.”

Jensen growled. “ _Fuck_!”

“Exactly.”

“What’s our plan?”

Misha sighed. “I don’t exactly know.” He paused, “And anyway, why is it always _me_ who’s working out what we have to do next? I was under the impression that you came along to be more than just a pretty face for Jay to wake up to.”

Jensen shifted uncomfortably as the room settled into an awkward silence, which lasted for a few minutes before Jensen coughed quietly. “Got two plans. The first is easy: distract the guards – a phone call, suspicious noise, whatever. Safe and nobody gets hurt, but it’s not a dead cert.”

Misha nodded thoughtfully. “And the second?”

A malicious grin spread across Jensen’s face. “How do you feel about explosives?”

Misha smirked. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you.”

Jensen grinned. “I always thought it was my boyish good looks.”

Misha just shook his head despairingly. “How we gonna make them?”

“I was thinking we could ask Jay. Back when we started hacking, he got really into the destructive side of things. Kinda like the pyromania phase some kids go through. What’s the betting that he looked at more than just ways of _digital_ sabotage?”

Misha grinned. “Touché.”

Jensen slid a hand into his pocket and withdrew the case containing his Link. After several minutes he grinned, before stowing it again. He turned to Misha and smirked. “Jay says it’s pretty basic. We can whip up some stuff mostly using some of the cleaning supplies that should be fairly easy to get our hands on.”

Misha nodded. “There’s a janitors’ closet a few doors down. That’s probably the best place for that stuff.”

* * *

* * *

Jensen and Misha made their way through the service parts of the subterranean complex until they reached the secure door that was the first of the layers of security that separated them from Jay. Misha placed his hand on the security scanner, his eyes sliding out of focus as he hacked through the protocols keeping the door locked. The latch clicked as he succeeded and he pushed it open, holding it behind him for Jensen.

Before proceeding further into the busier sections of the facility, Misha gestured towards the side and Jensen stepped to the side of the corridor. Misha bit his lip. “You good?”

Jensen shrugged. “Bit nervous now that we’re actually _doing_ something.”

Misha nodded. “Just act confident – you look determined and nobody is going to stop you unless they’re security because, well, that’s their _job_.” He grabbed at Jensen’s hand, “ _Seriously_ , you act like you should be somewhere and people just assume that that’s the case.”

Jensen grinned nervously. “Will do.” He paused, “By the way, what do you think’ll happen if this goes wrong?”

Misha bit his lip again. “Not really sure – Jay doesn’t _officially_ exist, so it isn’t kidnapping. Theft, maybe? But the Corporation essentially controls the courts, so I don’t _want_ to think about what _might_ happen.”

Jensen nodded. “Yeah.” He glanced down the corridor, “Shall we?”

Misha smirked. “One layer of security down, only another ten or so to go.”

* * *

* * *

Between their demeanour and Misha’s skills, they managed to pass through a large portion of the facility unaccosted; entering into increasingly secure areas of the compound the deeper into the ground they went. As Misha had suspected, between their confident gait and the focused looks on their faces, nobody questioned their disguises or bothered them as they walked through the complex, allowing them to infiltrate fairly far into the structure before they had to stop.

Misha nodded down the empty passageway before whispering. “’round that next corner is the security desk, so now is the time for you to crack out your toys.”

Jensen grinned, pulling out the miniaturised bombs out of his pocket. Their plan was to light the fuses and roll the towards the security desk – hoping that the explosive detonating would be enough to startle the guard into leaving without causing any injuries. “This is the bit I’ve been looking forward to.”

Misha snorted. “Pyro.”

Jensen waved him off. “Nah, that’s Jay. I just enjoy indulging his obsessions.”

Misha pulled a lighter out of his pocket, smirking. “Good to know you’re such a good friend.”

Jensen handed across the first of the microexplosives, grinning when Misha touched the flame to the end of the wick. Misha poked his head around the corner, checking his aim, before setting the small ball of chemicals rolling silently along the floor until it bumped against the base of the security desk. He quickly ducked back, crouching against the wall with Jensen, body tense as he waited for the explosion.

After a few minutes with no activity, he stuck his head back around, quietly groaning at what he saw. Jensen looked nervously at him, before whispering. “What is it?”

Misha ducked back around. “The thing didn’t go off.”

“Fuck.” Jensen growled, “You want to try another?”

Misha bit his lip, something that was rapidly becoming a habit. “How many you got left?”

“Five. I made a half dozen, just in case.”

Misha nodded. “Hand another one over then.”

Jensen reached into his pocket before passing another of the homemade explosives.  Misha lit the fuse, before rolling it down the corridor to rest next to their previous attempt. He ducked back around the corner and waited nervously with Jensen to see if the second explosive would succeed where the first failed.

After a few minutes with, yet again, no explosion, Misha glanced across at the taller man. “Did you make them all the same?”

Jensen nodded awkwardly. “Yeah.”

Misha bit his lip. “You make them exactly as Jay said?”

Jensen shrugged. “Kinda. Had to improvise a bit.” He paused, “Why?”

Misha shook his head. “I think – I think they might be duds.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

Jensen tapped his finger against the wall. “W-what we gonna do?”

Misha ran a hand through his hand nervously. “It’s kinda a bit late for a lot of my backup plans.”

Jensen looked nervous. “You _do_ have one that’ll still work though?”

Misha bit his lip once more. “Yeah, I just don’t exactly _like_ it.”

“Huh?”

Misha sighed. “You still got your Link?” He waited for Jensen to nod, “Get it ready – you’re going to have to hack through the door past the security desk on your own as quick as you can.”

Jensen frowned. “What are you going to be doing?”

Misha smirked. “Providing a distraction.”

Jensen opened his mouth to ask more, but before he could, Misha winked at him. “Move fast and remember to say _hey_ to Jay for me.”

With those words, Misha bounded around the corner into clear view of the security desk and ran straight for it, heading towards one of the secure corridors that branched off behind it. The commotion he caused had the guards abandoning their posts to chase after him almost instinctively, giving Jensen ample time to approach the secure door that would hopefully lead him closer to Jay and hack the lock with his Link. Slipping through it, he turned, spying through the rapidly diminishing gap that one of the guards was returning to his post, indicating that whilst he had made it past the most perilous section of his journey to rescue his friend, the man who’d been risking his life to help had sacrificed himself in order for Jensen to reach that stage.

* * *

* * *

Although he progressed slower than he had with Misha at his side, Jensen managed to penetrate successfully deeper into the facility until, at last, he stood in front of the secure door behind which, hopefully, was Jay. He read the panel next to it: _Server Room 7C: Authorised Personnel Only_ ; before chuckling – he was certainly _not_ authorised, but since he doubted that it _was_ actually a server room, he figured that cancelled it out.

He touched his gloved hand to the access panel, sliding his Link back over his eyes with his other hand, before focusing on the data streaming through the advanced hardware. Unlike the security leading up to this point, this last access panel was much more difficult, however it folded within several minutes and the thick steel security door slid back into the wall, proving a portal into the vast room beyond.

The room was, for its size, was predominantly empty – there were only a few white-coated laboratory technicians grouped around stations scattered around the room. Besides Jensen and this handful of scientists, the only people in the room were submerged in the large curricular tank in the centre of the room. Jensen stepped closer, unnoticed by the technicians and gazed through the surface of the translucent chemical down to where three bodies lay on raised platforms, surrounded by wires and garbed in nothing more than skin-tight off-white neoprene bodysuits. His eyes drifted across the letters printed in stark black ink on the breast of the three garments, focusing on one in particular. “Jay?” He breathed, “God, Jay, I found you. I found you, Jay.”

He glanced around the room, firstly checking that nobody was observing him, before having a second, more detailed look to try and determine how best to get Jay and the others out of the tank. His eyes immediately locked onto a bright red button, surrounded by yellow and black warning stripes and protected by a tough plastic cover, in the centre of one of consoles surrounding the tank. His fingers twitched with anticipation – it was the sort of button that everyone itches to press one day, and if it saved Jay, that only made it better. With a last glance towards the technicians, Jensen strode over to the console, flipped the lid and slammed his fist down on the button.

The effect was instantaneous. The overhead lighting immediately blinked out, replaced by dim red safety lighting that flickered on along the edges of the room. The technicians turned towards Jensen in shock, as a secondary secure door closed over the entrance and, with a rumble, a thick slab of steel slid under the glass design that formed part of the ceiling. One or two moved slightly, looking intent on stopping the apparent trespasser. Jensen reached into a pocket of his jumpsuit, clearly withdrawing his weapon, yet keeping the barrel firmly pointed downwards - a clear, yet unthreatening message to the unarmed technicians, who cautiously backed away.

With a gurgle, the liquid in the tank began to drain. Jay shot up with a rough groan, before rubbing his hands over his shorn head. As his companions started to stir, he glanced around the room, glaring at the white-coated technicians in the corner before his gaze shifted to rest on Jensen. He frowned for a moment, before climbing out of the tank in a scramble of long limbs.

He glanced over at Jensen once more before making his way over to one of the control panels. His face scrunched in concentration as his fingers danced over the keyboard, information flashing up on the screen quicker than Jensen’s eyes could process. After a few minutes, Jay froze and tapped the screen.

He turned around and frowned at Jensen. “Are you – ,“ he coughed nervously as his voice cracked, rough from years of disuse, “Are you here to he-help _me_?”

Jensen smiled. “Yeah, Jay, yeah I am.”

Jay frowned. “Jensen? _Jen_?”

The older boy grinned. “I got your message, Jay.”

“Message? You _got_ that and you came? For _me_?”

Jensen chuckled. “Course I did. If I’d known I’d have come a lot sooner.”

Jay gave a nervous smile. “You – you wanna help?”

Jensen grinned. “Sure. What do you want me to do?”

“There’s protocols to release, um –,” he flushed as his eyes darted towards the other two people struggling out of the tank, “the rest of the, um –.”

As Jay trailed of nervously, Jensen nodded. “Your siblings?”

Jay shrugged awkwardly. “I – I guess?” He scratched his neck uncomfortably, “The only thing is it needs human authorisation and, um, we’re not exactly – _I’m_ not exactly –.”

As he trailed off again, Jensen smiled understandingly. “It’s okay. Misha told me.”

The taller man frowned. “Misha?”

“The guy your message sent me to.”

Jay chuckled. “Oh, Em. He’s a bit – you know – isn’t he?”

Jensen grinned. “Crazy? Just a little, yeah.”

“Where is he anyway? I assumed he’d have come with.”

Jensen shuffled his feet nervously. “He kinda had to cause a distraction and I’m pretty confident they caught him.”

Jay’s face fell. “Oh.” He bit his lip, “I’ll – I’ll sort that out in a moment. I just need to sort out this thing first.”

Jensen’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “How can I give this authorisation?”

Jay gestured for Jensen to come closer before grabbing his hand and slapping his hand down on a indented scanner. The scanner flashed for a moment before the protocols Jay had accessed activated.

The lockdown lifted immediately, and Jay turned and glared at the technicians. “This isn’t going to end well. You help get my b-brothers out of here unharmed and I’ll make sure there’s a good word put in for you.”

He waited for a nod before turning towards to door. He tilted his head and looked over at Jensen. “You coming?”

Jensen grinned. “Course. You going to handle hacking through the security? Misha did for most of the way in, but –“

Jay chuckled. “I don’t need to – benefits of the job. I’ve got full admin privileges.”

Jensen grinned. “That’s good.”

The taller man shrugged. “They had to give _some_ benefits.”

* * *

* * *

Jay flicked through the data on the computer at the security desk before nodding. “Got him.” He tapped the scene, “They put him in one of the holding cells.”

Jensen looked across at Jay and raised an eyebrow. “Can you get him out?”

Jay smirked. “Course. I’ll just put in a custody transfer request and we’ll go pick him up.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow. “They’ll just let you do that?”

Jay laughed. “Not _exactly_ , but I attached the seal of the Corporation’s CEO to the order. People don’t question that shit.”

Jensen whistled. “Nice! You’re allowed to use that?”

Jay chuckled. “Course not, but I’ve used it enough times that it’s easy enough to forge.”

Jensen grinned. “And it’ll work?”

Jay smirked. “Course it will. When you shove that sort of authority in people’s faces they get so impressed that they don’t question if it’s genuine.”

Jensen nodded. “I can see that.” He paused, “We good to go?”

Jay nodded. “We’ll go grab Misha then let’s get outta here.”

* * *

* * *

Ten minutes later, a very star-struck security officer was showing the pair towards the cell which held Misha. He was quite young and impressionable and couldn’t help babbling. “I never saw that level of authorisation before. You work with his office regularly?”

Jay rolled his eyes between the guard’s back. “ _Yeah_. All the time.”

The guard sounded impressed, ignorant of Jay’s sarcasm. “ _Really_? That’s so impressive.” There was a pause, “Why does the CEO want this guy anyway?”

Jay shrugged, before grunting disinterestedly,. “No idea, the guy probably just wants to make an example of him or something.”

The guard nodded before unlocking the cell. As the door opened, Jensen caught Misha’s eye and winked. The guard glanced at Jay. “This the one?”

Jay hummed boredly. “Yep.” He nodded at Misha, “Come on. Don’t want to keep the boss waiting.”

The trio headed down the corridor, away from the guard. Once they were out of sight, Jay grinned at Misha before unlocking his handcuffs. “Hey, Em. Been getting in trouble without me, I see?”

Misha rolled his eyes and huffed. “I was doing fine until I started hanging out with your boyfriend.”

Jay frowned. “Boyfriend?”

Jensen flushed, causing Misha to raise an eyebrow. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Tell me what?”

Jensen sighed, before rubbing at the back of his neck. “Um, you know the AI you programmed into my Link?”

Jay raised an eyebrow with surprise. “That guy still _works_?”

Jensen coughed awkwardly. “Uh, yeah?”

“Did the aging thing work?”

Jensen shrugged. “Kinda. He’s a bit shorter and has more hair.”

Jay laughed. “Second one is hardly my choice. First one is just freaky genetics.”

Jensen scratched at his head. “ _Yeah_. So the AI and me? We’re kinda in a relationship.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “Really? How does that work?” He jiggled his eyebrows suggestively, “You find a way to do the dirty?”

Jensen blushed and started stuttering. Jay chuckled and waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. That AI was based on my personality, so it wouldn’t do anything _I_ wouldn’t under the same circumstances.”

Jensen spluttered. “Wh-what? You saying what I think?”

Jay chuckled. “I’ll leave that for you to wonder about.” He grinned, “Let’s just say being stuck in a giant fish tank for over a decade doesn’t offer many chances for some action.”

Misha coughed quietly as Jensen’s mouth dropped open. “Can we stop with this whole sexual tension? I’d really like for us to get out of here before they realise that you guys aren’t from the CEO’s office.”

Jay chuckled. “Probably best. Don’t want Jen to end up swallowing flies.” He ruffled Jensen’s hair before turning to Misha, “You know how we’re getting out?”

Misha shrugged. “Thought we’d head back over to the transportation hub and catch a shuttle back home.”

“You know when the next one is?”

“Not really.”

Jay sighed. “Guess I’ll check.” He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. He opened them again after a few minutes, “There’s a few in the next day or so. Then nothing for a while.”

Misha frowned. “How did you do that?”

Jay shrugged. “There’s now wireless access. They shoved an implant in.”

Misha paled. “Oh.”

* * *

* * *

The release of Jay and his siblings had deeper reaching consequences than anyone could have foreseen. Twenty-four people flopping, damp and confused out of sterile tanks sent cracks through the systems of the Corporation. Security systems that were so commonplace, they were discounted, started to fail. Communication channels that were once secure began to leak.

As the cracks widened, systems that were so old they had been forgotten began to kick in. Automated procedures that were written into the Corporation servers long before the Cities were conceived were triggered.

The second those pre-programmed thresholds were breached, the centuries-old fragments of code activated, ensuring system security in the most extreme way. Communication channels were literally severed as connections were ejected. Users were locked out as workstations terminated access, sealing themselves off, waiting for the central computers to sound the all clear.

The effects were cataclysmic - systems that had been built on older protocols lost their foundations and failed in unexpected ways. Certain access points remained open, waiting for instructions from devices that were locked down. Automated production lines kept running, fixated on their latest targets and automated shuttles carried those goods to facilities that didn't have the ability to sell them.

While Key West suffered least - systems close enough to the central hub that backup cabling could quickly be rolled out, restoring minimal functionality to a handful of critical processes and positions - staff still ran confused between stations, desperate for instructions that weren't forthcoming due and barely spared a cursory glance at anyone passing by.

As a consequence of this, and with a little help from Chad, who offered a ride, completely oblivious to the fact that Jay was dressed in skin-tight neoprene, the trio had managed to sneak aboard one of the shuttles due to depart the headquarters, still sticking to their rigid schedule.

* * *

* * *

 Jay rested his feet on an empty crate. “So, Em, how did you come up with your name?”

Misha shrugged. “Found it in a book and it just seemed to fit, y’know? Why, you thinking of something more than just Jay?”

Jay looked across at Jensen. “What do you think, Jen?”

Jensen glanced up from the floor, still processing Jay’s earlier suggestion. “Huh?”

Jay rolled his eyes slightly and huffed. “Me, having a new name, what you think?”

Jensen shrugged. “Up to you. Probably best if you can keep Jay as a nickname though, otherwise that might get a little odd.”

Jay nodded. “True. Any suggestions?”

Misha shrugged. "Jim? Jack? José?"

Jay laughed. "God, no. I don't want to spend the rest of my life sounding like whatever booze you like to gulp down in your free time."

Misha chuckled smugly. "Thought it'd be worth a shot. Could've been funny."

Jay waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Any proper suggestions?"

Misha thought for a moment. “Jared?”

Jay nodded thoughtfully before looking back across at Jensen. “Jen?”

Jensen hummed noncommittally. “It works.”

Jay sighed. “Guess it’s Jared then.” He bit his lip before looking across at Misha, “Hey, Mish, you mind giving me and Jen a little privacy?”

Misha nodded, before standing and moving deeper into the cargo bay. “Sure.”

Once he was out of earshot, Jared turned to Jensen. “Look, Jen, I can see this is a little awkward for you.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow. “A _little_?”

Jared laughed. “Alright, a _lot_.” He grinned, “You’ve got _me_ back, but I’m not the _me_ you fell in love with and that guy is still around.” His smile dropped a few teeth, “And I’m guessing the flirting isn’t really helping.”

Jensen tilted his head, acknowledging the point. “Yeah.”

Jay bit his lip before taking a deep breath. “What if I could become him? Have those memories with you?”

Jensen looked up, somewhat unconvinced. “How?”

Jared shrugged before giving a shy smile. “Part computer, remember? I could basically rip the data from the AI on your Link and merge those memories and experiences with mine. I wouldn’t be _identical_ , but there’s not much they’d be conflicting with, so I’d be close."

Jensen hummed. “You’d do that?”

Jay shrugged. “Not as though I picked up a ton of great memories being in that tank.” He sighed sadly, "There's a bit of a downside though - it'd burn out your Link 'cause there's no way it can cope with that amount of data access." He itched at his neck, "So I'd be the _only_ Jay."

Jensen was silent for a moment as he contemplated the loss of his AI. "That's - that's o-okay. That's the way it should be." He chuckled lightly, “You do realise what that’d mean though?”

Jay grinned. “What? That we’d be in a relationship proper? I’ve got no problems with that.”

“Seriously?”

Jared chuckled. “Jen, I’m not _exactly_ normal, so I’d be happy with _anything_. In return, you get a relationship that’s a little closer to normal with a physical side that’s _actually_ physical, rather than whatever you’ve been up to.”

The tips of Jensen’s ears flushed red as he stammered. “If – if you’re sure.”

Jared shrugged. “I’m fine, either way. It affects you most, so it’s your call.”

Jensen grinned a little. “I’m good with it, but I really don’t want to force you.”

Jared waved him off. “Really, I’m good.” He held out a hand, “So let’s do this.”

Jensen smiled nervously before fishing his Link out of his pocket. “Here. Uh, good luck?”

“Not going to need it.” Jared’s hand closed around the Link. He closed his eyes in concentration before briefly winking at Jensen, “See you on the other side.”

His entire posture collapsed as his muscles relaxed. After a few moments, Jensen tapped him with the tip of his shoe as he started to worry,

“Jay? You okay?” He tapped again, “Jared?”

Jared's chest heaved as he bolted upright, his eyes snapping open, allowing his pupils to dance around the room. They quickly settled on Jensen. “Jen?” He gave a slight grin, “Jensen?”

Jensen smiled. “Jay? You -”

The taller man pulled him down a deep kiss, but before it could get too heated, an amused cough came from the side. “Am I interrupting something?”

Jensen glanced up, and sighed. “Misha.”

Jared also glanced in his direction and smiled. “Misha, impeccable timing as always.”

Misha smirked. “Thought you should know we’re going to be landing shortly.”

Jensen sighed, but Jared poked him in the ribs excitedly. “You hear that, Jen? We’re almost home.”

The last word caused Jensen’s heart to flutter.

* * *

* * *

Jared barely managed to control himself long enough for Jensen to get him back to the apartment. Before the door had even slammed closed, the taller man had Jensen pinned against the wall and was attacking his mouth ferociously whilst frantically grinding their groins together, desperately seeking friction. He popped the button on his lover’s pants, sliding a hand inside to rub at his manhood through the silk of his boxers. After a few minutes, his hands slid around to cup Jensen’s ass. He squeezed at the perky muscle before lifting his boyfriend up and off the ground completely. Jensen’s legs automatically wrapped themselves around Jared’s waist as the taller man started moving deeper into the apartment, guided by his lover’s kiss-muffled directions and occasionaltaps from his feet.

He quickly found Jensen’s bedroom and threw him down on the soft mattress. He broke away momentarily to strip of Jensen’s shoes, socks and pants, before returning to his attempts to devour his lover’s face. His slid his hands under Jensen’s tee, pushing it up, revealing an expanse of freckled, muscular flesh. He broke away again, pulling the garment off completely before throwing it into a distant corner of the room. He started to explore the newly revealed flesh with his mouth, playing with his lover’s sensitive nipples for a moment before flipping him over, leaving Jensen ass-up on his hands and knees. Jared’s eyes roved over the exposed body sprawled under him for a few moments before he ran a finger under the waistband of the silk underwear, ripping them down to expose the tight cheeks of his lover’s ass. He ran a finger through the pre-cum copiously soaking out of his boyfriend’s steel hard cock before lowering his face to the god-like ass and inhaling the delightful smell of his partner. Jay spread Jensen’s ass checks with his thumbs, before letting his tongue dart out to lick at the tightly furled entrance. As Jensen moaned, he started to explore the ring with the tip of his tongue, before starting to press on it, attempting to force his way inside. After a few pressed, the muscle relaxed, allowing Jared entry. After several tastes, he pulled away, causing a moan of loss from the shorter man. He quickly undid his own pants and pulled out his cock. He gave it a few tugs to encourage it to full hardness, before rubbing it along the crack of Jensen’s ass, lubricating it with the pre-cum leaking from his slit and a mouthful of spit. He lined himself up, and without further preparation, shoved himself inside, slamming against his lover’s inflamed prostate before coming to rest with his balls flush against the firm globes of Jensen’s ass.

Jared’s hands rested on his lover’s hips as the older man screamed with passion, holding himself steady until Jensen groaned. “Move, damn it. For the love of God, _move_.”

Jared quickly obeyed, sawing in and out of the tight heat of Jensen’s core, angling himself so that on every slam inwards, he rammed against the bundle of nerves deep inside the smaller man, causing him to start moaning in a continuous babble of screamed pleas. Jared used one hand to reach around, and began to ferociously tug at his lover’s erect cock, regularly rubbing his thumb over the leaking slit at the tip. Jensen didn’t last long before climaxing, pumping his seed into his boyfriend’s hand. Jared pulled out of the clamp-like grip of his lover’s core and, gripping tightly hold of the base of his own cock to delay the spilling of his own seed, flipped the smaller man onto his back. He raised cum covered fingers to his mouth, licking at a drop to taste the pure essence of Jensen whilst the older man lay blissfully beneath him, panting breathlessly.

Jared quickly stripped off his own clothes before pulling Jensen closer, until the smaller man’s legs fell open revealing his hole. He used his cum-coated fingers to open his lover further before quirking them and searching inside for the sweet spot. Finding it rapidly, he started to rub until once more, Jensen’s cock was standing fully to attention. Once Jensen began to groan again, Jared slipped back inside, hooking his lover’s leg over one shoulder, allow him full access to Jensen’s depths, whilst trapping the smaller man’s straining between their bodies. He quickly managed to bring Jensen to climax once more, the older man spilling his seed only moments before the resultant tightness pulled Jared over the edge as well.

* * *

* * *

The pair were lazily sprawled across Jensen’s bed when the door smashed inwards. Within seconds, there were over half a dozen guns and Jared paled as a well-dressed man strutted into the room with a swagger.

He smirked. “Hello, Jay.”

The taller man ground his teeth. “Mark.”

Jensen blinked. “Mark. Mark _Pellegrino_?”

The man smirked. “Nice to see you’ve heard of me, Mister Ackles. Thought you could steal from me did you? Jay belongs to the Corporation – he belongs to _me_.”

Jensen snarled. “You sick _fuck_. Jared isn’t a _thing_ I can steal – he’s a person. And I _rescued_ him.”

The man chuckled. “He’s a _thing_. He was made in a lab and injected into a _bitch_ of a woman who ran off with my investment. That sound like a _person_ to you?” He grinned, “Or a _thing_?”

Jensen growled. “You sick, _sick_ fuck.”

Mark just smiled. “I’m just here to take my equipment back.”

A rolling laugh filled the room. “You think I didn’t have a plan for this?”

Mark glared at Jared. “ _What_?”

Jay smiled sweetly. “Check your Link. You should have just a _hint_ of the message that’ll be going out soon.”

Mark growled. “ _What_?”

Jared chuckled. “All those documents running through the twenty-four of us. The evidence of the cover-ups. The lies you’ve told. Your ignorance of the Kripke plan.”

Mark began to pale. “You _can’t_ – you _can’t_ know that.”

Jared smirked. “All those documents, all the archives, all the vague mentions. You don’t think we’ve seen enough?” He grinned, “Check your Link, _sir_ , or the first you’ll hear about it is from every news site on the Grid.”

Mark froze for a minute before pulling out a gun and pointing it at Jay. Jared felt Jensen tense beside him as Mark spat. “I end you then. Kill you and it doesn’t go out.”

Jared chuckled humorously. “There’s twenty-three others. Twenty-five, if you’re counting the ones you let go. Killing me will only worsen your guilt.”

Mark nodded before turning the gun until it pointed at Jensen. “What about your _boyfriend_? You’ve only got one of those.”

Jared froze, but Jensen patted his chest reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Jay. Do what has to be done.”

Jay’s mouth flapped as he began to panic, but before he could decide, one of the armed guards coughed awkwardly. “Uh, sir?”

Mark glared across, daring the man to explain why he was interrupting. “ _What_?”

The man shifted uncomfortably. “It’s a call from your office. The switchboard’s been overloaded with people asking about the news bulletin, and the board wants to know how confidential information was leaked.”

Mark growled before spinning back. “You _released_ that information?” He snarled, before turning to Jensen, “This is all your _fucking_ fault. If you had just been with your family – “

“That was _you_?” Jensen snarled, trying to get up, with only Jared’s arm holding him down, “I’m gonna _kill_ you.”

Jared jumped in, trying to defuse the situation. “It’s over, Mark. Face it, and walk away with dignity.”

Mark pursed his lips. “I _could_. Then again, I could do this.” He pulled back the trigger on his gun before swinging it towards Jared, “You’ve caused me _nothing_ but problems. You’re a broken machine and broken machines have to be shut down, _permanently_.”

Jared squeezed Jensen’s hand and whispered. “If you love me, _please_ close your eyes.”

Jensen bit his lip before nodding sadly and closing his eyes. He whispered back. “Love you _so_ much.”

Jensen squeezed his eyes tight, flinching when he heard the gunshot and felt the splatter of warm blood on his skin. A voice came from the broken door. “Thought you’d want a hand.”

Jensen’s eyes shot open. “Chris!”

His friend chuckled. “Was in my bar when I saw the news - whole damn Grid lit up with it. Logged out to see if you'd heard, which was when I heard this jerk.” He kicked the body rolling on the ground, clenching at his bloody thigh, “Thought you could do with some help.”

Jared chuckled nervously. “Not that I’m ignoring the fact you just saved me from turning into strawberry jam, but, uh –“

His eyes darted between the armed guards now pointing their guns in Chris’ direction. Chris chuckled. “Nah, these guys aren’t going to do anything _that_ stupid. The authorities should be here shortly and want a nice long chat with the boss-man.” He tapped the toe of his boot against the blood-soaked trousers of the head of the Corporation, “And I don’t think it’s to give him an award. If these guys are _sensible_ , they’ll get gone while the going’s good. Nobody stays loyal to a drowning man, am I right?”

He glanced and the stunned bodyguards and grinned. Within moments, the burly men were streaking out of the apartment before they got implicated in the crimes of their master. Jensen cracked a smile. “Cheers, Chris.”

The shaggy haired musician waved him off. “Can we hold the plaque-giving until you and –“

He looked at Jared and paused for a name. “Jay.”

Chris glanced across at Jensen and raised an eyebrow. “Jay, huh?” He smirked, “Sounds like your sneaking around worked out for you.” He coughed, “But yeah, hold the plaque-giving until you pair are dressed.” He smirked, “Oh, and you’re cleaning the toilet this week.”

* * *

* * *

The period that followed, and the subsequence downfall of the Corporation, entered into the history books alongside other notable events still remembered centuries or millennia later - the fall of Rome, splitting the atom, humanity's first steps under another star, Event One - it joined them out of sheer notoriety.

Of course, the Corporation resisted everything that was thrown at it right to the bitter end. It started its struggle by making several large _contributions_ , both directly and through its subsidiaries, to City officials in a hope to bury the charges. However, the public gaze was firmly on the shaky City governments, so within weeks of the news breaking, the entire board and most of the officers were dragged into the Supreme Court of the Seven Cities on charges of everything from attempted murder to involuntary imprisonment. In response, the Corporation threw everything it could into mounting its legal defence.

The revelation of Jay, Misha and their _siblings_ \- the twenty-six human-machine hybrids soon nicknamed the Ghosts in the Machines - was probably the pinnacle of the trial and, ultimately, the silver bullet that brought the Corporation to its knees. The creation of these hybrids was met with much controversy - not only did it breach several laws in regards to human experimentation, but there was no precedence set regarding how to handle them. Opinions varied on them wildly, with some calling them abominations and others calling them the next step in human evolution. However, their brutally honest testimony about how they had lived under the Corporation's hands  swayed public opinion massively in their favour and within days of the revelation, a joint decree from the governments of the Seven Cities was unanimously passed granting them equal rights in the eyes of the law.

The moment when the Corporation knew it was done, and the moment when Jensen felt most proud, was Jared's revelation of the full details of the Kripke plan – the original guidelines that were drawn up to manage the construction and future of the Cities. As the details were fully explored, it became apparent that the Cities were only supposed to be temporary refuges – places where five or six generations could outlive the consequences of Event One, not places where humanity was supposed to remain indefinitely. It was also apparent that the Corporation had conspired to hide the amount of recovery the planet had made – purposely destroying and infecting the land around the City walls that was visible from the gilded spires.

His calm words in a sterile courtroom were met with much uproar from the general populous and the authorities had to react quickly to maintain order. In a bid to placate the masses, the defensive walls of the city were torn down almost ceremoniously, and humanity ventured out of the tightly controlled environment of the Cities and into the natural world for the first time in eons.

The trial lasted long past the decline of the Cities - although their guilt was guaranteed, the lawyers argued over every comma on every document until they could quibble no longer. The verdict was returned - guilty on all counts - and the Corporation's vast resources were seized and redistributed, helping all those that had long lived under its shadow take their first steps into the new world.

* * *

* * *

In the years that followed, Chris opened his own musical bar, but ended up spending more of his time on his stage than pouring drinks. Misha started a counselling service to help the Ghosts integrate into a society that praised them as brave heroes, yet still struggled to cope with what they represented. Jeff managed to build a quiet house on the coast where he could enjoy his retirement in peace. Jensen's family lingered in comfort, unaware of the change that their son and his boyfriend had brought to the world, but happy just to sit under the sun and let the breeze blow.

Jared and Jensen also moved out of the City, building a quiet home together where they could spend their days together, safe and secure in the new world they had helped to begin.

All was good.

* * *


	5. Epilogue

Jensen sat on the porch swing, staring out across the acres of desert surrounding his property. He grinned as a bird fluttered past before landing on a tree on the edge of the garden. The swing rocked as Jared settled onto it next to his lover. His liver spotted hand rested on the wrinkled skin of Jensen’s as he smiled. “Remember when we first met?”

Jensen coughed. ”We were so young back then.”

Jared sighed. “Those were the days.”

“I still can’t believe what I must have done to deserve you.”

Jared patted his partner’s hand before gently kissing his lips. “You didn’t have to do anything. You make everything perfect just by existing.”

He reached into a canvas bag by his feet, pulling out an old wooden box and handing it to Jensen. The older man frowned with confusion, before his eyes went wide. "Is this -?"

Jared nodded, before smiling nervously. "Took me a while to find."

Jensen slid the lid off before blinking in shock. "No _way._ "

He reached inside a pulled out the delicate mass of electronics. Jared smiled. "Thought you'd like it." He chuckled nervously, "Sorry it took so long - but getting it working again _was_ supposed to be impossible."

Jensen spluttered. "It _works_?"

Jared chuckled. "You want to try it?"

Jensen nodded, before slipping the restored device back on, noting Jared's attention to detail in the restoration. He gasped. "Jay?"

A voice came from the other side of the space as Jared appeared, connecting into the Green Room using his implants. "He's not the only one."

He  blinked momentarily as he accessed the data stream. When his eyes cleared, a familiar face was staring at Jensen. The older man blinked. "Is that -?"

"You, as you were back then." Jared grinned, "I wasn't going to share you and didn't think Jay would want to be alone."

Jensen was almost speechless. "Jared."

He got a smile, before his husband-in-all-but-name nudged him. "I'd say your goodbyes - they probably want to be off."

Jensen frowned. "Off?"

The younger version of his lover smirked cheekily. "Yeah, me and Jen are going on our own little adventure - explore the world." He shrugged, "Or the Grid at least." He chuckled, "You got your happy ending - now I get mine."

Jared expanded further,

"I've upgraded the programming - it's no longer bound to a specific device - they can travel anywhere on the Grid without restriction or external input."

Jensen stared, mute, unable to say farewell to someone who'd been his entire life up until he'd gotten the real thing back. He stuttered. "B-bye?"

Jared chuckled at him before grinning at the pair - his younger self and the lover he'd given him. "Yeah, didn't really think that was going to work. You'll have to forgive the guy - old age and whatnot."

Jensen spluttered, finding his voice at last. " _What_? You're almost the same age."

Jared chuckled, his eyes sparkling. "Key word there Jensen: almost."

Jensen hummed. "Fine." He turned back to the pair, "Well, I guess this is goodbye - I'd have prepared something, but scatterbrain over there decided that this should be a surprise."

Jared sighed. "I think what gramps means is goodbye and good luck. To both of you."

His younger self smiled back, slightly nervous. "You too. It's been fun. We'll come and visit when we can."

He turned, grabbing Jen's hand, before smirking once more over his shoulder. "You two be good."

Jared rolled his eyes before reaching for Jensen's hand, almost mirroring their younger selves. Jensen chuckled. "You too, kids."

The pairs fell silent as two sets of old eyes watched their younger digital forms disappear deeper into the vast space before fading from view, determined to make their own mark on the world, just as Jared and Jensen had done.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, a massive thank you to my amazing artist [thruterryseyes](http://thruterryseyes.livejournal.com/)! This was my first Big Bang, so I didn't really know what to expect, but wow!
> 
> I didn't manage to use all the art in my fic (although I really wish I could have!), but you can find the rest [over on Livejournal](http://thruterryseyes.livejournal.com/43739.html)!
> 
> Secondly, another huge thank you to my beta [twasadark](http://twasadark.livejournal.com/), who very kindly stepped in at the last minute and helped me whip this into shape. I didn't manage to get through all the suggestions, but I'm taking full responsibility for that - so blame any remaining mistakes on me!
> 
> Of course, thanks go out to [wendy](http://wendy.livejournal.com/), without whom this whole thing wouldn't be possible!
> 
> I don't really like discussing personal stuff, but I thought I should probably say that I changed considerably when writing this - when I started, I wasn't in a brilliant place in my own head, but now I'm a few months away from going back to University for an MSc in a topic I'm highly interested in - whether that change is a result of writing, or not, I'm definitely going to continue!


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